This piece is partly motivated by the SHEA Expert Guidance Paper of Healthcare Personnel Attire in Non-Operating Room Settings which I co-authored with various colleagues from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
In the photo shoot, we captured images of traditional physician attire and that of bare below the elbows approach for inpatient care. At VCU Medical Center, the Infection Control Committee recommends bare below the elbows for inpatient care. The aim is to promote hand hygiene to the level of the wrists and to prevent infrequently laundered items, such as lab coat sleeves, from coming into contact with patients and the patient care environment.
For many, the white coat has a utilitarian function with its pockets. We have learned, from a study in our institution, that the need for carrying capacity is an ongoing motivator for wearing a white coat. The black vest, with its pockets, serves as a reasonable substitute to the white coat and allows for a bare below the elbows approach to inpatient care.
The concept of the black vest as the new white coat was originally conceived by my friend and colleague Dr. Michael Edmond, and is neatly summarized here.
Stay tuned.
