Bare below the elbows: preventing crosscontamination via the staff's attire.

Abstract

Beginning in the 1880s, nurses donned uniforms that were considered to be state-of-theart protection against illness. The original nurses’ uniform was known as the “fever-proof” shield to protect the entire body of the visiting nurse from infection, although it left the face and the hands uncovered (Figure 1). Over the years, the nurse’s uniform has changed significantly. Gone are the days of a nurse wearing a starched white dress, white stockings and shoes, and a white nurse’s cap. The typical home care clinician today wears street clothes for home visits. This clothing can become transiently colonized with microorganisms, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and potentially serve as a fomite for the transmission of healthcareassociated microorganisms as clinicians travel from home to home. Although there are no clinical data at this time that colonization of clothing can cause the direct transmission of microorganisms to patients,