ladbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Doctor's Decision To Write Name On His Cap Has Changed Medicine Forever

Doctor's Decision To Write Name On His Cap Has Changed Medicine Forever

He's inspired others to do the same, and the change has helped saved a lot of lives. The simplest ideas are always the best.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

A Sydney based anaesthetist has described how he changed the surgery game forever after he wrote his name on his scrub cap to avoid mix-ups in the operating theatre.

Dr Rob Hackett was on the receiving end of a bit of piss taking when he made the decision, but after just a few months it's been taken up by medics across the globe, as it reduces the chance of delays and miss-identification between colleagues in the operating room.

"There were some side remarks, like 'can't you remember your name?'" Dr Hackett told the Daily Mail.

"When you work across four or five hospitals and with hundreds of people, I'd say 75 per cent of staff I walk past I don't know their name. It's quite awkward.

"Last Friday I went to a cardiac arrest in a theatre where there were about 20 people in the room. I struggled to even ask to be passed some gloves because the person I was pointing to thought I was pointing to the person behind them."

It means that time lost when clinicians can't remember the names of other people in the operating room is now saved.

And it also means that medical students are no longer mistaken for qualified surgeons, and asked to do something they aren't qualified to do.

The change in attire has even proven so popular that doctors are being encouraged to show their support through the #TheatreCapChallenge hashtag, with surgical staff from across Australia, the UK, US, South America and Europe getting involved:

Sometime the simplest ideas are the best.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter

Topics: UK News, Surgery