Doctors have ‘poor hygiene’

DOCTORS should be spending more time washing their hands to prevent the spread of potentially deadly bacteria, new research shows.

Irish Medical Times research at the Department of Surgery at University College Galway has pinpointed two areas at risk from poor doctors’ hygiene.

One study found that less than half of junior doctors washed their hands after each patient and only 58% used disinfectant.

Another examined the link between the spread of the potentially fatal Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bacteria and doctors’ accessories such as pens, notebooks and white coats.

Swabs were taken from doctors in surgery and medicine and resistance to antibiotics were confirmed in both.

The study of junior doctors also found that of the nine out of 10 who carry a stethoscope, fewer than 3% clean them daily.