Bare below the elbows: was the target the white coat?

Abstract

Nosocomial infections are an important problem, affecting 8.2% of hospitalized patients, thereby placing a significant financial burden on the healthcare system.1 There are several recognized mechanisms by which pathogens are acquired, such as poor hand hygiene, environmental contamination such as medical devices by the bedside, overcrowding of patients, poor ventilation, inappropriate antibiotic prescribing or consumption, and the lack of availability of personal protective equipment. Back in 1847, the Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis noticed that women giving birth had a three times higher mortality rate in doctors' wards than in midwives' wards.