[Margaret Pilkington]

I am now suffering with eczema on my hands from all the years of washing down beds with STERICOL and from all the severe handwashes that we used.
Neil, I would endorse what Lettie says about cardies and wristwatches........I wore a fob for many years and then latterly a wristwatch.......but if I was doing anything sterile I would remove my wristwatch........and my uniform had long sleeves.......which again I would roll and pin if I was doing a sterile procedure.

When I worked on orthopaedics it was routine for patients to come in up to 48 hours before surgery so that we could do skin prep........the skin was washed with special soap and then painted with an alcoholic solution........the limb was then wrapped in sterile J cloths.......oh yes, and the shaving was done from the joint above where the surgery was to be performed to the joint below. Bacteria tend to cling to hairy places.