Should scrubs be worn in public?

While the CDC doesn't make a recommendation one way or the other on the case of public scrubs, others are speaking out. In an opinion piece printed in The Wall Street Journal in early 2009, Betsy McCaughey, a former lieutenant governor of New York, wrote about the dangers of sporting scrubs in public. She listed success stories of reducing infections in Britain and noted that the bacteria C. Difficile, which causes diarrhea and can be fatal, isn't killed by regular laundry detergents.

In this era of cash-strapped medical facilities, the days of on-site laundry services are gone in many cases. Staff members are now responsible for washing their own scrubs at home. There's no guarantee that scrubs are washed before each shift, and because workers no longer have to leave their scrubs behind for the hospitals to wash, some healthcare workers shop, ride public transportation or partake in other public activities while still wearing the scrubs they worked in.

A 2004 study on doctors' ties showed that nearly half of the 42 physicians in the study had at least one infectious microbe on their ties. If that's the case with ties, it's likely that the rest of the medical professional's attire also contains infectious bacteria.

When it comes to H1N1 flu, in a Q&A, the CDC notes that the virus can live on surfaces for two to eight hours, and recommends washing linens of those infected with detergent and drying on the hot setting. H1N1 is spread through coughing and sneezing and also contact.

One argument is that just because someone is in scrubs in public, that doesn't mean they work in healthcare or that they have direct patient contact if they do work in healthcare. Scrubs are comfortable attire, and they are being worn by those outside the medical field for that reason.

Also, hand washing is tantamount to reducing germs, and while those wearing scrubs in public may touch things with their hands, they likely won't be touching much with their scrubs. "Hand hygiene is the cornerstone of infection control," an infection control expert noted in an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer "Although clothing can be contaminated, our clothing does not provide health care."

There's also the point that public scrubs wearers might be on their way to work when spotted in public, and hopefully would be wearing freshly laundered scrubs. Many healthcare facilities ditched their on-site laundry services, leaving medical professionals on their own to wash scrubs, and one would hope they're being responsible about keeping lab coats and scrubs spic and span.

Those working in the medical field are also often pressed for time, so wearing scrubs in public could be the most convenient way to get errands and other tasks accomplished. It's easiest to stop off at a public place, like a grocery store, on the way home from work as opposed to jetting home first to change and then going back out, and at the end of a long shift, a worker might not want to spend time changing or may not have a nice changing area available.

Manufacturers are also making anti-microbial scrubs with invisible coatings that help keep germs away, and there's no telling if those donning scrubs in public are wearing anti-microbial scrubs or the regular kind.

Anti-microbial scrubs and lab coats are now on the market. They are coated with an invisible shield that protects against bacterial contamination.



Hand sanitizers, like this one that resembles scrubs, can help eliminate germs.