Uniform And Infection Control

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Uniform and Infection Control Introduction This essay will attempt to explore the connections, if any, between nursing uniforms and infection control. Specifying how the various resources were used and the evidence provided found, and supplying a Harvard reference list . The starting point for finding information was the university library. At first it seemed very daunting to try and find the relevant information within the vast number of books available, so I started with the topic index on the wall of the library. Using the numbered referencing system I was able to pinpoint two books within the fields of ‘Infection Control’ and ‘History of Nursing’. Scanning the index within the books to find ‘uniforms’, it quickly became apparent that this was not a suitable key word as it showed nothing within that category in either book. A search for ‘clothing’ provided much better results. Within these results it was discovered that historically, uniforms were more about image rather than having anything to do with infection control, “Starched white aprons, high white collars and stiff white hats signify an almost untouchable purity, calling to mind the ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’ cliché”, (Hallam,2000). But this cliché does not seem to hold true in today’s society, as a search of the university database found evidence to show that public perceptions of the nursing uniform are that it poses an infection risk to themselves, and the community, especially when worn outside the clinical area as suggested by Wilson, Loveday, and Pratt (2007). Having utilized the Library database, via the e-library gateway for the above evidence, although it proved useful, the results tended to be replicated within the internet searches. However, the public are correct in thinking that uniforms harbour bacteria. But evidence shows that although bacteria does

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