bring back the white coats
a lot of ppl still think that we wear white coats at hospital, although they haven't been worn by doctors here in aussieland for many many years. these days, those that wear white coats at hospitals often receive a second glance, a raised eyebrow, and are usually some poor medical students who have been forced by their tutors to wear them, or occasionally, eccentric old-school professors (usually balding and adorning a pair of big glasses).the white coat is an icon of doctordom. a symbol of knowledge and authority. however, over the last few decades, people came to resent the "arrogance" and "remoteness" carried by the white coat. some believe that they interfered with the doctor-patient relationship. other reasons for the disappearance of the white coat include, the risk of spreading infection, and claims that they're hot and uncomfortable. some even use the white coat hypertension phenomenon (where a patient's blood pressure can go soaring when they spot a doctor wearing a white coat) as a reason.
but i say, bring back the white coats! doctor-patient relationships depend on the MD's mannerism and interaction with their patients, not what they're wearing. i don't see why the risk of infection is less when we wear our own clothes to work. the risk of cross infection from one patient to another is not reduced, while our family members are put at increased risk of contracting bugs we bring home from work. If the long-sleeved white coats are too thick for some, then let us wear scrubs! they're comfy and easy to wash ~ which is important as patients tend to bleed, vomit and do other unspeakable things over doctors. [last night, a patient advised me to quickly use cold water to wash out the blood that had dripped onto my new skirt. think there was at least 20ml of his blood.] And if the white coat brings on hypertension, they include them in the crash trolley. they may be handy temporary measures for patients that are in shock (hypotensive).
posted by zhinger @ 12:42 pm
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