Clinical value of a wristwatch

doi:10.1136/bmj.39423.586331.1F

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James Henderson, SpR plastic surgery1,
Sarah McCracken, SpR geriatric medicine2

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

jh{at}jameshenderson.net

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 …