SCOPE COATS..Don't you think these might carry a few germs around??

[mopsi]

i hve been wondering if anyone else finds the trendy scope coats a bit of an infection control issue?? people that i see use them wear them all day..go room to room patient to patient and use them again the next day..i do wipe down my scope with alcohol..this may even be ineffective and only to make me feel better. but i do think that the buggers could have a nice time living in warm fabric..i always launder my garments..there was even a trend awhile back that our watches were germ city..am i just being too picky or does anyone else think the little coats are a bad idea??

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Yep, you're right. Of course the same could be said of people who wear the same lab coat day in and day out.

The do keep the latex off the neck, somewhat.

I had one with velcro that I could open easily.....

[bassbird]

I got one for Christmas and wash it with my uniform. I think the scope coat prolongs the tubing life by keeping your neck oils off of it. It seems like wiping the tube with alcohol will cause it to dry out and crack easier. You should wash the scope coats after a shift though.

Another thing about stethoscopes. I always use a alcohol wipe before using it on a patient. I shadowed an experienced nurse the other day and noticed she never did clean hers. That seems like a definite mode for germs to be passed

I am getting a bit paranoid about my watch....

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I have a ton of scopecoats but hospital now forbids them. However, I personally think that uniforms, shoes, etc carry germs everywhere. In any environment where bad germs, like MRSA, meningicoccal, etc are present, we use isolation techniques. In the ER, believe me, the scopecoat is the least of my problems!

[Franca]

Does anybody change out of uniform/scrubs before leaving work, or is that not an infection control issue?