Poor hygiene among doctors has been linked to the spread of the potentially fatal "superbug", MRSA, at University College Hospital, Galway, according to studies to be published this week.
The spread of the bacteria has been linked to doctors' accessories such as white coats, pens, and tourniquets, and the research has revealed low standards of cleanliness in relation to hand washing and the changing of clothing.
The findings of the two studies, carried out at the Department of Surgery, UCHG, will be published next week at the Sir Peter Freyer Memorial Lecture and Surgical Symposium in Galway. They found that only one third of surveyed doctors had coats cleaned weekly, while less than half of non-consultant hospital doctors washed their hands after attending each patient. Only 58 per cent used disinfectant and only 3 per cent of those who carried stethoscopes cleaned them daily.