NHS Fife defends infection control measures
NHS Fife has defended its infection control measures following suggestions that banning flowers from wards or stopping people from sitting on beds is having a "dehumanising" effect on hospitals.
An article published in the British Medical Journal insists that there is "no hard evidence" that bans on flowers or preventing relatives or visitors from sitting on beds is halting the spread of infections -- despite a similar policy being partially followed in Fife's hospitals.
Writing in the article, London GP Dr Iona Heath slammed the practice of warning doctors, friends and relatives against sitting on beds, or stopping people from bringing in flowers, as "an illusion of activity with no substance", despite Scottish Government guidelines erring on the side of caution in a bid to prevent the spread of infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C diff).
Despite the criticism, NHS Fife says it will continue to urge patients, doctors, nurses and visitors to wards not to sit on hospital beds.
- For more on this story, see tomorrow's Courier.
