Q I was taught that anything below the waist in the OR is non-sterile. Shouldn't the doctor in this photo keep his hands up as he dons his sterile gown?

A You are right: Anything that goes below waist-level is considered non-sterile according to the age-old standard of practices for OR procedures. Many rules are part of the standards for good reasons, but few have scientific evidence to support them - and this is a prime example.