From www.nursejoe.com

Col. Charles Callahan, the Walter Reed Health Care System’s deputy commander for clinical services, and the management team are moving forward in securing ACU scrub tops for military nursing personnel.

Infection Control and Epidemi-ology Service proposed the scrub tops to be worn with ACU pants for military. This uniform will continue to identify military with name and rank attached to the scrub top. Some civilian staff have requested to have a complimentary uniform in support of the military which is ACU trimmed.

The infection control advantages of the tops are: easy care; ease of wearing medium yellow or large blue isolation gowns; ease of wearing gloves; and short sleeves to prevent catching on objects or dragging into something contaminated with a microbe.

Each military direct patient care nursing staff will be issued three tops and will be responsible for laundering the tops. More specific guidance will come with the scrubs in the next few weeks. Civilian nursing staff may purchase ACU trimmed scrub tops and coordinating pants at NurseJoe.com.

The ACU scrubs will enable ‘‘Correct Procedures Every Time,” the hospital-wide campaign to promote best practices in patient care and safety. Required best practices for staff include wearing a clean uniform daily, wearing closed-toe shoes, having short clean fingernails, and washing before and after patient care.