Introduction
In a recent study on the plight of condition of
hospitals, a junior doctor from Mangaluru Edmond Fernandes has advised the
Indian doctors to stop wearing white coats. Through a volume of data, he has
proved beyond doubt that unwashed overcoats harbour potential pathogens in
them. The details of this study are published in the British Medical Journal.
This was disclosed by the doctor who is the author of the study to a news
agency by the name ANJ. According to him, the doing away with this tradition
would bring down the extent of the spreading of infection in the hospital.
Landmark Finding
Edmond Fernandes is currently pursuing his
postgraduate course in his chosen medical specialty at the Yenepoya Medical
College. Over the period of the study, he has found that long sleeved white
overcoats used by the medicos in our country spread infection. He suggests that
the avoidable harm to the patients at the hospitals could be avoided by doing
away these polluting overcoats. Though the white overcoats are used by the
senior and junior doctors since the dawn of the 19th century, no
work was done to ascertain its harmful effects due to the lack of cleanliness.
This is the first authentic work on the harmful effect of these coats that some
scholars have forecast some years ago. In order to help his cause, the young
medico has come out with scientific proof. The coats the doctors use are left
in the open on the chairs, consultation desks, etc. These are the areas where
the floating pathogens in the air come and sit on the overcoats that are not
washed for weeks altogether. This is mainly due to the space constraints most
hospitals have in our country.
Reasons for Dirty White
Overcoats
The main reason for the dirtiness of overcoats
worn by the physicians in our country is their periodical washing. The careless
manner in which these overcoats were thrown around by the junior doctors also
adds to the woes of the patients. The junior doctors don’t have the courtesy to
remove the overcoats when they step out of the premises of the hospital. They
use the white coats as a status symbol and visit the nearby malls and other
places. This exposes the full sleeved overcoats to all kinds of pathogens that
keep floating around in public places. The other reason why the wearing of
white overcoats should be dispensed in India is the tropical hot climate. This
is the reason why the government of the United Kingdom had come out with a
legislation banning the use of overcoats with long sleeves when they are in
hospital premises in 2007. Even the American Medical Association has decided to
follow suit and dump the white coat with long sleeves. However, it did not
carry through as the member physicians did not want to part with them citing the
tradition.
