White Coats at a Crossroads: Hygiene, Infection Risk, and Patient Trust in Healthcare Attire-An Umbrella Review with Quantitative Synthesis and Stress, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis.

IF 4.1 2区 生物学 Q2 MICROBIOLOGY
Christos Tsagkaris, Matthias Rueger, Samuel B Tschudi, Thomas Dreher
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Abstract

White coats, traditionally symbols of physicians' hygiene and professionalism, are now scrutinized for potential infection risks during patient interactions. This review investigates whether wearing white coats is linked to microbial contamination, infection transmission, and patient expectations. An umbrella review of peer-reviewed studies and guidelines was conducted, with searches in PubMed/Medline and Scopus using terms related to medical attire, infection control, patient perceptions, and discrimination. Ten records were included, and a bibliometric analysis was performed with VOS Viewer. Bias appraisal was conducted using the JBI Bias Assessment Toolset, and a SWOT analysis was developed to support evidence-based decision-making. Findings indicate that white coats may harbor pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-positive cocci, Gram-negative rods, and MRSA. To mitigate contamination risks, it is recommended that physicians roll up coat sleeves during examinations and that the coats receive daily laundering in healthcare settings. However, evidence supporting a coatless policy is yet to be published. Patients tend to expect physicians to wear identifiable attire, like white coats or scrubs for surgeons. Recent research in this field shifts the focus from infection control to the impact of attire on patient trust and physician-patient relationships.

十字路口的白大褂:卫生、感染风险和患者对医疗保健服装的信任——定量综合和压力、弱点、机会和威胁分析的综合综述。
白大褂传统上是医生卫生和专业的象征,现在在与患者互动时,要仔细检查潜在的感染风险。本综述调查了穿白大褂是否与微生物污染、感染传播和患者期望有关。我们对同行评审的研究和指南进行了全面审查,在PubMed/Medline和Scopus中搜索与医疗服装、感染控制、患者认知和歧视相关的术语。纳入10份记录,使用VOS Viewer进行文献计量学分析。使用JBI偏见评估工具集进行偏见评估,并开发SWOT分析以支持循证决策。研究结果表明,白色大褂可能含有病原菌,如金黄色葡萄球菌、革兰氏阳性球菌、革兰氏阴性杆状菌和MRSA。为了减少污染风险,建议医生在检查时卷起外套袖子,并且在医疗机构中每天清洗外套。然而,支持无外套政策的证据尚未公布。患者往往希望医生穿着可识别的服装,比如白大褂或外科医生的工作服。该领域的最新研究将焦点从感染控制转移到着装对患者信任和医患关系的影响上。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Microorganisms
Microorganisms Medicine-Microbiology (medical)
CiteScore
7.40
自引率
6.70%
发文量
2168
审稿时长
20.03 days
期刊介绍: Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607) is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal which provides an advanced forum for studies related to prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, viruses and prions. It publishes reviews, research papers and communications. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. The full experimental details must be provided so that the results can be reproduced. Electronic files and software regarding the full details of the calculation or experimental procedure, if unable to be published in a normal way, can be deposited as supplementary electronic material.
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