The well-dressed surgeon

AORN, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, has developed new draft guidelines on surgical attire available for public comment. The document can be viewed here.

Some highlights:

• Fresh scrubs are to be donned on entry or re-entry to the OR
• Hands should be washed prior to donning scrubs
• Surgical scrubs should not be laundered at home (believe it or not, some hospitals do not currently provide laundered scrubs to OR personnel as a cost-savings measure)
• All undergarments must be covered by the scrubs (e.g., no crew neck t-shirt or turtleneck with v-neck scrubs)
• Shoes with holes on the tops or sides (i.e., traditional Crocs) are not permitted