BMJ  2008;336:10 (5 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39423.586331.1F

Letters

"Bare below the elbows"

Clinical value of a wristwatch

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Trusts are about to implement a "bare below the elbows" dress code policy for doctors. This includes the banishing of wristwatches from "clinical areas."^{1 2} There is no evidence that wristwatches are carriers of infection. It has been proposed, but not shown, that watches may impair handwashing.¹ Little account has been made of the clinical benefits of a wristwatch. Most beds and examination couches in hospitals do not currently allow sight of a clock.

Twenty appropriately trained healthcare staff were assessed for their ability to carry out basic clinical observations without the use of a second hand, to assess the dependence placed on wristwatches. Nine senior medical students, six junior doctors, one consultant, and four trained nurses were asked to evaluate heart rate (pulse) and respiratory rate on the Laerdal Sim Man simulated patient. Each participant was assessed at regular pulse rates of 83, 36, and 168 beats per minute and . . . [Full text of this article]

¹ Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, Norwich NR4 7UY, ² Ipswich Hospital, Ipswich IP4 5PD

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