Veterinary nursing uniforms: their role in infection control

The veterinary nurse's uniform's role in infection control is often considered from a parallel view point. Anecdotal evidence from colleagues and social media posts suggests that sectors of the veterinary nursing community seem to be more concerned about being mistaken for staff in a supermarket rather than questioning if they should be wearing their uniform in a non-clinical setting. With veterinary staff being highlighted as high risk groups for carrying meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (Feil-berg, 2015), veterinary professionals must consider their uniform's role in protecting their patients and themselves. This means reviewing how uniforms are cleaned and where they are worn.

The NHS has guidelines for staff uniform hygiene from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2012). These guidelines state that nurses should:

These also include information on where staff can wear their uniform, and states they should:

These are advised as public confidence in hygiene is decreased by seeing staff in uniform outside a clinical environment. However, anecdotal evidence suggests not all guidelines are adhered to for many reasons, including a lack of awareness, training and facilities (Loveday et al, 2007; Pratt et al, 2007; Riley, 2015), and a high number of NHS staff are still seen in uniform in public.