| Ever wonder if you are given a choice to seek | | | | bacteria around from one patient to another. Each |
| physician advice for your health, which doctor will | | | | encounter might leave microbes on those strips |
| you prefer to meet? The ones who dress | | | | of fabric. |
| casually in open neck shirts? The one who wears | | | | The study compared the ties of 42 male medical |
| sneakers and jeans or rather the one in a white | | | | staffs which include physicians, physician assistants |
| coat and wearing neckties? Most of us prefer the | | | | and medical students with those of 10 security |
| latter obviously. Could this be a right choice? | | | | guards. |
| Unfortunately the answer is NOT, Researchers at | | | | The study shows 20 out of 42 ties (47%) worn |
| New York Medical Center of Queens recently | | | | by medical staffs were infected with a |
| reported interesting findings about neckties at the | | | | non-pathogenic Alcaligenes faecalis bacteria and |
| meeting of the American Society of Microbiology. | | | | seven ties infected by organisms which pose a |
| Earlier studies have found bacteria on everything | | | | threat to the elderly or others weakened by |
| from doctors' stethoscopes, pagers, cell phones, | | | | illness or medication, including Pseudomonas |
| and even pens. Following those finding Doctors are | | | | aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Alcaligenes |
| aware and know how to clean those items | | | | faecalis, Pantoea agglomerans (which turned up on |
| frequently. Shirts and white lab coats are washed | | | | three ties) and Klebsiella pneumoniae which cause |
| more frequent, sometimes as often as every | | | | a life threathening pneumonia and toxic shock. |
| time they worn. But how often do they clean the | | | | Staphylococcus aureus, five gram-negative |
| tie, do they realize that neckties might carry | | | | bacteria that is often associated with |
| germs as well? | | | | food-poisoning, was found in 33% of neckties (12 |
| "Most people don't clean or wash the tie that | | | | ties) worn by medical staff, but only one of the |
| every time they wear it," told one of the | | | | neckties worn by security guards. |
| researchers, Steve Nurkin. "You come home and | | | | ''While there is no direct evidence to implicate |
| throw the tie on your tie rack and a week or so | | | | neckties in the transmission of infection to |
| later, you wear it again. It's rarely clean." | | | | patients, the link between contaminated necktie |
| Neckties worn by doctors can and do carry | | | | and the potential for transmission must be |
| dangerous pathogens which means a bedside visit | | | | considered,'' says Nurkin. |
| by a well-dressed physician could be hazardous to | | | | He also said the study was meant to raise |
| your health. | | | | awareness of a potential risk and help provide |
| Doctors may wash their hands, some more than | | | | better quality care. |
| others, but often adjust and straighten their | | | | So should doctors stop wearing a necktie and |
| neckties after they have washed their hands. | | | | toss away their ties? Well maybe they should. For |
| While examining patients, they might lean over, | | | | sure, they certainly need to pay more attention |
| and their neckties would swing and touches the | | | | to their hygiene considering about 5 to 10 percent |
| bedding or brushes against patients' skin during | | | | of all hospital patients acquiring an infection in the |
| examinations, and they get sneezed on and | | | | hospital where they receive treatment! |
| coughed on by patients, spreading bugs and | | | | |