Our entry into the clinical side after clearing a major ordeal of passing I MBBS (Anatomy, Physiology + Biochemistry) was publicised by two eagerly awaited events - wearing of an apron (white coat / lab coat) and the stethoscope for the first time. Those things gave some recognition to the clinical students and brought the students closer to being "real" doctors. I remember even the public giving importance to these. It was highly fashionable to wear them to a movie! Even the students who rarely attended classes, invariably wore them while going to a movie theater or a restaurant. There was one particular photo studio which had an apron and a stethoscope and anyone could get themselves photographed wearing an apron and putting the stethoscope around the neck! One of my relatives who was not educated beyond the high school had his own photo taken in this fashion and that photo occupied the place of pride in his house! A third year medical student going on a Yezdi motorbike with his girlfriend wearing a stethoscope around his neck and an apron (mostly borrowed) was indeed a sight to watch!
The real use of a white coat was in the biochemistry lab - How can we forget the yellow stain which devoloped when Nitric Acid fell on it? Trousers or shirt would have been ruined but for it. Pockets allowed us to keep our instruments and papers. Sometimes small holes devoloped in the white coat due to sharp objects. One could "diagnose" where the student is posted by the prevailing smell of the apron. A strong smell of formalin meant that he was doing Anatomy, a horrible smell of gangrene meant he was in the Surgical posting. A clean apron was much in demand thing during the exams!
Now, a little bit of the history of the white coat. The first time the was coat was allowed by the law to be worn was in 1699 in France.- it was then referred to as a "long robe". The Columbia University medical school founded in 1767 was the first one in the USA to award the Doctor of Medicine degree (MD). It was also the first medical school to have the "White coat ceremony".
What happened to the white coat? Many professions other than the doctors started using it to gain respectability - laboratory workers, people in the food industry, barbers to name a few. What is the perception of the current generation about the white coat? What does the research show?
For one thing, the doctors still feel it is important and they like it and prefer to wear it to work. The patient's perception has however changed. The patients feel that the apron does not invoke the same satisfaction or confidence as it did earlier. They would be as comfortable with a doctor who does not wear it. So a white coat does not form a part of the formal attire any more!
Is ti safe to wear white coat? We are not talking about the safety for the doctor here but about the safety for the patients. Now come the surprising findings of research - Risk of infection is probably INCREASED by the white coat! They are talking about the BBE scenario - which means Bare Below Elbow.- no wrist watches, no rings, no bracelets, no bands. A strict "Wrist hygiene" has to be practiced to avoid bacterial contamination from cuffs, sleeves of the apron / shirt. A strict Hand hygiene is required during the insertion and care of invasive devices - urinary catheters, intravascular shunts. White coat contamination by the bacteria (staphylococci of various types) is now widely known. The remedial measure of removing and hanging up the white coat before entering the patient's immediate environment is suggested and practiced.
How often a white coat has to be washed? How best is cleaned? The best way is probably to launder it. Best method is to send it to the hospital laundry. However, if one decides to launder it at home, using a hot water wash cycle with a bleach is probably the best option. Along with the white coat, the other things to be suggested to be regularly decontaminated include cell phones, ID Card, purse, bags and jewellery.
What does the future hold for the white coat? Dos any one care?
The real use of a white coat was in the biochemistry lab - How can we forget the yellow stain which devoloped when Nitric Acid fell on it? Trousers or shirt would have been ruined but for it. Pockets allowed us to keep our instruments and papers. Sometimes small holes devoloped in the white coat due to sharp objects. One could "diagnose" where the student is posted by the prevailing smell of the apron. A strong smell of formalin meant that he was doing Anatomy, a horrible smell of gangrene meant he was in the Surgical posting. A clean apron was much in demand thing during the exams!
Now, a little bit of the history of the white coat. The first time the was coat was allowed by the law to be worn was in 1699 in France.- it was then referred to as a "long robe". The Columbia University medical school founded in 1767 was the first one in the USA to award the Doctor of Medicine degree (MD). It was also the first medical school to have the "White coat ceremony".
What happened to the white coat? Many professions other than the doctors started using it to gain respectability - laboratory workers, people in the food industry, barbers to name a few. What is the perception of the current generation about the white coat? What does the research show?
For one thing, the doctors still feel it is important and they like it and prefer to wear it to work. The patient's perception has however changed. The patients feel that the apron does not invoke the same satisfaction or confidence as it did earlier. They would be as comfortable with a doctor who does not wear it. So a white coat does not form a part of the formal attire any more!
Is ti safe to wear white coat? We are not talking about the safety for the doctor here but about the safety for the patients. Now come the surprising findings of research - Risk of infection is probably INCREASED by the white coat! They are talking about the BBE scenario - which means Bare Below Elbow.- no wrist watches, no rings, no bracelets, no bands. A strict "Wrist hygiene" has to be practiced to avoid bacterial contamination from cuffs, sleeves of the apron / shirt. A strict Hand hygiene is required during the insertion and care of invasive devices - urinary catheters, intravascular shunts. White coat contamination by the bacteria (staphylococci of various types) is now widely known. The remedial measure of removing and hanging up the white coat before entering the patient's immediate environment is suggested and practiced.
How often a white coat has to be washed? How best is cleaned? The best way is probably to launder it. Best method is to send it to the hospital laundry. However, if one decides to launder it at home, using a hot water wash cycle with a bleach is probably the best option. Along with the white coat, the other things to be suggested to be regularly decontaminated include cell phones, ID Card, purse, bags and jewellery.
What does the future hold for the white coat? Dos any one care?
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