How many times have we all heard in the last few weeks of continual swine flu news: WASH YOUR HANDS? Even U.S. President Obama told Americans to wash their hands. This seems to be the number one preventative action. What’s really frightening is the fact that the chances are only 50-50 that the doctor treating Americans in the hospital has washed his hands. It’s hard to believe, but the odds are the same as flipping a coin. Actually, it’s worse. According to the U.S. National Quality Forum, hand-washing compliance rates at hospitals are generally LESS THAN 50 percent. The Quality Forum says it is a problem in other countries also — Great Britain, Canadan and Australian media have reported this problem in their countries.
Hospitals are desperate to get doctors to simply wash their hands and are taking extraordinary means to try and influence them — including termination of employment and hidden cameras. Ethic Soup blog has an excellent article on this at:
http://www.ethicsoup.com/2009/01/dont-kill-me-doctor-wash-your-hands.html
Doctors who won’t wash their hands were a problem BEFORE the current swine flu epidemic! I think it’s a good idea when seeing a doctor today to ask if they’ve washed their hands before touching you.
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