# docs and hand washing question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/docs-and-hand-washing-question/89706 "2001-10-26T03:26:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/They_Call_Me_Sneeze)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/docs-and-hand-washing-question/89706/1 "2001-10-26T03:26:52Z")
My dad brought this up after his recent finger-surgery, and now I am really wondering: why do doctors spend all that time washing their hands if they are just going to be wearing gloves? This might sounds like one of those “why do we drive on a parkway” things, but really, I cant figure it out. My dad said it was because they could charge for an extra fifteen minutes if they spent a lot of time over the sink, but I am not so sure. Thank you, love sneeze ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/docs-and-hand-washing-question/89706/2 "2001-10-26T03:40:15Z")
You just can’t be too clean in those sorts of situations. Also, they have to touch the gloves to put them on so it’s better to touch them with clean hands. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/docs-and-hand-washing-question/89706/3 "2001-10-26T03:43:25Z")
The idea is to make things as clean as possible to reduce the chance of infection. When dong surgery, it is not uncommon for gloves to be torn by an accidental needle, rough surface (e.g. cut bone), etc. Usually this is noticed, but not always. Why take a chance when washing has been shown to reduce infection rates? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/docs-and-hand-washing-question/89706/4 "2001-10-26T04:13:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*… dong surgery … \*\* For _dong_ surgery, you might wish to wash your hands afterwards.😃 ---
**Author:** ![They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/They_Call_Me_Sneeze)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/docs-and-hand-washing-question/89706/5 "2001-10-26T04:13:18Z")
Thank you, Hajario and Dr. Paprika. I suspected as much. Have nice weekends : ) love ezeens ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/docs-and-hand-washing-question/89706/6 "2001-10-26T13:27:28Z")
Nice catch, Karl! ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/docs-and-hand-washing-question/89706/7 "2001-10-26T14:23:12Z")
A friend of mine who is now a qualified M.D. claims that the most difficult thing he encountered in his undergraduate years was learning how to put on sterile gloves without touching the outside… Makes you wonder… Gp ---
**Author:** ![J248974](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cc9497/32.png) [@J248974](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J248974)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/docs-and-hand-washing-question/89706/8 "2001-10-26T15:07:26Z")
In surgery, sterility is the key condition and while their gloves are sterile, there is always the possibility that they can be penetrated. All surgeons wash for a period of 5 minutes with an iodine based liquid soap, using sterile picks to even clean under their finger nails. The 5 minutes is to make sure that the soap not only removes all surface bacteria but kills bacterial lodged in crevasses of the skin, like around the nails, under the nails and then coats the skin with a temporary antibacterial coating. They never touch the faucets with their hands once they begin the scrub, using foot controls to turn off the water or elbows. They dry their hands on sterile towels given to them by nurses who are already gloved and gowned. The gloves, these days, act to protect the doctor as much as the patient with the amount of infectious diseases about. Should they break a glove, the potential for contaminating the sterile field and infecting the patient with germs is reduced almost to nothing. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/docs-and-hand-washing-question/89706/9 "2001-10-26T22:51:29Z")
Ummm, the docs I see on tv always have someone else putting gloves on their hands for them. We have neat faucets at the hospital, your body heat turns them on & off.