Plain Talking Gary Glennell Toms
On August 2, an accomplished and respected member of the medical community contacted From The G-Man and stated his colleagues — doctors, nurses and various medical personnel — are jeopardizing public health and safety by continuing to enter and exit hospitals in scrubs and lab coats, which he says is an issue that needs to be seriously addressed by the New York State Health Department and related agencies.
“My medical title is radiology technologist and I’ve been employed in the field for almost 15 years. I’ve worked with hospitals that maintained strict policies in relation to scrubs and lab coats being worn outdoors. It was something that you just didn’t do, but fewer and fewer hospitals seem to care,” said the tech, who asked to be identified only as “MC”.
“Some hospitals enforce it, but most don’t. The place where the abuse of the lab coat rule is most prevalent, from my experience, is New York Presbyterian – Columbia University Medical Center on 168th Street in Manhattan. St. Luke’s is another offender that I have witnessed, but not as bad,” MC stated.
The technician went on the note that he believes this common practice is being completely ignored by hospital administrators and creating extremely unsanitary conditions that can lead to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and staph infections. The following link provides more information on MRSA infections.
http://www.medicinenet.com/mrsa_infection/article.htm.
From The G-Man spoke with two other sources from the medical community that are equally concerned and in complete agreement with MC’s assessment.
“Susan”, a retired Registered Nurse and Nursing Supervisor who asked that her name be changed to protect her identity, worked for 30 years at a well-known Queens-based hospital.
“I was the most hated person on my floor, without a doubt, because I always challenged nurses and interns for not adhering to quality-care practices and standards,” said Susan.
“I got into the habit of carrying my uniform in a clothing bag when I had to go in, and I would change back to my street clothes when my shift was over. Others would come into work with dirty uniforms, and I would lay into them because they knew better. Many of the doctors and techs were no better. I couldn’t believe how they would walk around in scrubs and lab coats with pen markings or other stains on them. It was supposed to be a sterile environment, for God’s sake!” continued Susan.
“The only reason why they got away with it is because hospital officials, as well as the New York State Department of Health, never said anything. Trust me; there are plenty of other hospitals doing it now.”
In another example of how patient safety may have been compromised, Susan explained that a number of nurses she worked with would wear two or three pairs of latex gloves at a time while treating patients and simply remove one pair as they treated each patient.
“They did that to avoid washing their hands after every patient, which is mandatory for nurses and all medical staff. I fought with so many of them over that,” Susan concluded.
“Trisha”, a medical assistant that has worked for a Washington Heights-based, multi-service clinic for the last five years, was very direct when asked about scrubs, lab coats and – in her specific case – medical assistant uniforms being worn outdoors.
“I think it’s disgusting. I see it on the train all the time when I go into work. During my training, my instructors drilled it into ours heads that we should never wear our uniforms openly because of the threat of contagions or germs,” said Trisha.
“The subway has to be the dirtiest place in New York City, and I’ve seen people do some really nasty things on the train — from sneezing onto their uniforms to coughing in their hand and then wiping it on their uniform. I don’t put on my uniform until I get to the office, and I take it off before I leave work. Quite frankly, I think the state needs to create a rule and enforce it.”
The 30-year-old medical assistant’s claim about subway filth and germs has been substantiated in several published reports that are available online. In 2010, a special report by WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News investigative team also revealed that many of the subway cars were not being cleaned properly, or not being cleaned at all, by Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employees. The segment can be viewed via the following link.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/investigators&id=7694670
From The G-Man visited New York Presbyterian – Columbia University Medical Center, stood out front for an hour, and watched staff members enter and exit the facility in scrubs, lab coats and other medical attire. Many were also standing or seated out front having lunch or taking “smoke breaks”. Upon leaving the area, two hospital workers were seen emerging from a nearby #1 subway station in medical attire that was clearly wrinkled and dirty.
New York Presbyterian – Columbia University Medical Center’s Community Affairs and Media Relations representatives were contacted in order to allow the institution an opportunity to present its side of the story regarding this issue. A grace period was given, but comments were not provided by the time this story was posted. From The G-Man will post any and all comments from the hospital representatives as they become available. 
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta was contacted to find out what the policy is regarding scrubs and lab coats worn outside of medical facilities, and Dr. Michael Bell, Deputy Director of CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, addressed the issue.
“Scrubs or any garments that become grossly covered in blood or body fluids such as during childbirth, surgery, etc., should be changed promptly to protect patients and the wearer,” stated Bell.
“The majority of scrubs currently worn in healthcare facilities are equivalent to street clothes in terms of infection control, thus gowns and hand hygiene used as part of standard precautions should be implemented regardless of attire,” Bell added.
“There is currently no indication for all personnel — as well as deliverymen and visitors, presumably — entering a healthcare facility to change into special garments and remove them before leaving. The rest of your inquiry would be best suited for the New York State Department of Health, the doctor concluded.”
The New York State Department of Health was also contacted in order to acquire a detailed explanation of the guidelines involving medical attire being worn outside of hospitals and clinics. Jeffrey Hammond, spokesman for the Public Affairs Group, in conjunction with the New York State Department of Health, issued the following statement.
“There are no state rules or regulations about wearing hospital scrubs outside of a facility. There are no scientific data indicating that scrub apparel worn home has been responsible for the transmission of infections of any kind. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC) has produced a report related to this issue entitled, “Use of Scrubs and Related Apparel in Health Care Facilities”.
In the interest of the public and all healthcare professionals, From The G-Man has provided the link to the full APIC report below. The report was issued in 1997. http://www.apic.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=State_of_the_Art_Reports&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=579
