Editor - The study from Gherardi and colleagues is both welcomed and timely (Clin Med Decmber 2009 pp 519-24). The physical appearance of doctors in hospitals has changed substantially over the past five years - the loss of the white coat, banning of neckties, widespread introduction of surgical scrubs (also for non-medical staff) and the 'bare below the elbow policy'. These changes have all been made to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), though no trial has shown these measures to have had this effect.
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