I don't know what this is, but I'm gonna eat it.
Posted on 05/24/2004 7:06:33 PM PDT by blam
Doctors' germ-filled ties 'are as deadly as Typhoid Mary'
By Roger Highfield Science Editor
(Filed: 25/05/2004)
Ties worn by hospital doctors to impress their patients harbour a hidden danger: almost half of them seethe with potentially harmful bacteria, according to a survey published yesterday.
In an announcement sure to please proponents of "dress-down Friday", the tie was depicted as the sartorial equivalent of "Typhoid Mary" - a cook who infected 47 people in 1907 - at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans.
While a tie helps to make a doctor look professional, the survey concluded that it is a "fomite" - an inanimate object capable of spreading infection.
"Any benefit from the necktie may be offset by their potential risk," concluded Steven Nurkin, of the Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel. "This study brings into question whether wearing a necktie is in the best interest of our patients."
Of ties that tested positive, one in four carried Staphylococcus aureus - though not the antibiotic resistant superbug variety - and one in eight harboured well known bacteria that often plague hospital patients, such as Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumanii.
Mr Nurkin said that his study had triggered debate among doctors about taking the ultimate sanction and abandoning all ties. Options include pinning back ties; adopting the potentially safer bowtie; and wrapping the necktie in a glorified "condom" that can shield the patient from harmful organisms.
Mr Nurkin conducted the survey at the New York Hospital Medical Centre in Queens. He sampled ties worn by doctors, their assistants and medical students. For comparison, he also sampled ties worn by security personnel at the hospital with "minimal patient interaction".
The odds of a doctor wearing a necktie seething with pathogens were eight times greater than that of security personnel.
Yeech! I just lost my appetite.
Ted Kennedy's car and my doctor's tie have killed more people than my guns.
Oh, that's a good look.
"I must have gotten it from my doctor's tie" might replace "I must have gotten it on a public toilet."
I don't know what this is, but I'm gonna eat it.
I'm gonna start wearing a surgical mask when I visit my doctor...and, I'll take along a copy of this report.
The first thing that went through my mind is that ties don't get laundered or dry-cleaned very often.
The rest of a man's clothing requires frequent cleaning, but I don't think I have EVER had a tie cleaned.
Replaced, yes. Cleaned, no. After all, a tie does not get sweat on it or dirt, and if it gets lasagna on it, it gets thrown out. Ties are plentiful. My family has given me a lifetime supply in the last couple of years. Where is the motivation to take a tie to to the cleaners?
Don't worry, I'm not your doctor or anyone else's. :)
My MIL is a retired Director of Nursing and always told me (especially when I was in the hospital after having my son) that if you have a nurse wearing lots of bracelets, a watch or rings other than her wedding band, ask her to remove them and wash up before she touches you. Jewelry is one of the major carriers of bacteria in hospitals (in addition to neckties) it seems.
Scary. She also says what a shame it is that nurses don't have to pin their hair back anymore. It also is full of bacteria.
Toward the end of my pregnancy I had some complications that landed me on bedrest, and you can be sure that whenever I had to go to the ER she was right by my side!! She can "cut thru the crap" at a hospital like no other!
yes, you just reminded me that my MIL said "look out for anyone with long nails while you;re in the hospital!!"
IT's good to hear you say that at least your hospital doesn't allow the nails. What is the jewelry policy, may I ask?
Rumor is, you're a member. ;->
Most doctors wear white jackets over their clothing when doing procedures. Most nurses now wear gloves everytime they have to treat a patient.
Call me a redneck if you like, but I don't even own a tie.
If it needs to be ironed, I don't want to wear it either.
Jeans, T-shirts, and sailing gear floats my boat!
SM
I have always thought that the traditional doctor's shirt worn in the "old days" always looked more professional and "docterly" than a shirt and tie. It was the shirt that buttoned to the side and seemed to always be freshly washed and starched. I always though it looked more sanitary than regular street clothes, and I am sure it was.
I'm glad I am not expected to wear a tie at work. (College professors are not expected to wear a suit and tie because they have no status.)
Well...uh...yes. Doctors have sick people around them all the time. I've noticed - durndest thing.
This should come as no great surprise to those whose reading of medical history happened on one of the leading causes of puerperal fever. It was doctors delivering babies right after they'd been cutting up corpses for learning and amusement. Their frocks in particular...some of their personal hygiene was insufficient to the occasion as well inasmuch as they didn't always wash their hands afterward either...
...and yes, this was a long time ago. I believe.
How about blue skin?
Never trust a man who wears a tie to work, it cuts off the circulation to his brain.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.