Lancet slams Brown on hospital hygiene

By Tim Castle

LONDON (Reuters) - Hospital hygiene measures to tackle superbugs announced by the government this week are populist moves that will have little effect by themselves, a leading medical journal said on Friday.

In an editorial, the Lancet said plans outlined by Prime Minster Gordon Brown and Health Secretary Alan Johnson to deal with deadly infections such as MRSA and C Difficile were not based on scientific evidence.

Brown and Johnson announced a clampdown on infections and hospital cleanliness, including a 50 million pound ward-by-ward deep clean of hospitals.

All medical staff, including doctors, would have to abide by a "bare below the elbows" dress code and wear short-sleeved tops. The weekly journal said Brown had "grasped the wrong end of the evidence stick" over deep cleansing of hospitals.

"Disinfection of high-touch surfaces is what is needed, more so than removing visible dirt," it said.

"The public understandably wants clean wards and crisp uniforms, but politicians must stop pandering to populism about hospital cleanliness and listen to the evidence."

It said the proven way to stop hospital-acquired infections was to make sure that doctors, nurses and visitors wash their hands properly.

The journal said Johnson's own working group had found no conclusive evidence that uniforms or work clothes posed a hazard in spreading infection.