Publication:

White coats: how much safe are they?

Background Various studies have suggested that health care workers'(HCW) clothing, including white coats, are potential reservoirs for microorganisms causing health care associated infections, reinfecting the hands of HCWs and may be a vector for transmission of nosocomial pathogens. Hence the present study was undertaken to detect the incidence of pathogenic microorganisms that contaminate nurses white coats.

Methods Total 324 swabs, collected by swabbing the three sites of the surface of the Nurses’ white coat (pockets, abdominal zone and the sleeve ends) were inoculated on blood agar, Mac-Conkey’s agar and incubated at 37°C overnight. Microbial growth was identified by standard methods. Antibiotic sensitivity test was carried out by Kirby-Baur disc diffusion method as per CLSI guidelines.

Results Non-pathogenic bacteria (skin flora) were isolated from all white coat culture and pathogenic bacteria from 76 (70.3%) white coats (45 from Surgery & allied departments, 31 from Medicine & allied departments). From total 324 samples, 85 (26.2%) samples were positive for pathogenic bacteria and total 94 pathogenic bacteria were isolated which includes 33 (35.1%) Staphylococcus aureus (6 MRSA, 27 MSSA), 56 gram negative bacilli (17 ESBL producers). The rate of contamination with pathogens, was higher on pockets (57.4%) compared with abdominal zone (27.6%) and sleeve ends (14.8%).

Conclusions The study highlights the importance of white coats as potential source of cross infection. A strict protocol should be followed for preventing cross-contamination from the white coats.