Browsing GraphJam yesterday, I noticed this neat little chart:
Ah, would that it were true. Sadly, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that "overall adherence to hand hygiene guidelines was 57%. Factors associated with poor adherence included having busy workloads, performing activities with high risks for cross-transmission, and being in technical specialties (such as surgery and anesthesiology)." In other words, about six-in-ten doctors wash their hands as often as they should. And being a surgeon actually lowers your likelihood of being a conscientious germophobe. Because of this, government guidelines now cut against hand washing (pdf). That ritual takes up to a full minute, and in busy units, study after study shows that doctors will skip it as they rush to fit in their full load of patients. Those minutes add up. The government now recommends alcohol-based hand purifiers. You clip the vial to belt and use it as you walk from bed to bed. This may all sound a bit silly, but "the CDC estimates this saves an hour in an eight-hour intensive care shift."
Ah, would that it were true. Sadly, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that "overall adherence to hand hygiene guidelines was 57%. Factors associated with poor adherence included having busy workloads, performing activities with high risks for cross-transmission, and being in technical specialties (such as surgery and anesthesiology)." In other words, about six-in-ten doctors wash their hands as often as they should. And being a surgeon actually lowers your likelihood of being a conscientious germophobe. Because of this, government guidelines now cut against hand washing (pdf). That ritual takes up to a full minute, and in busy units, study after study shows that doctors will skip it as they rush to fit in their full load of patients. Those minutes add up. The government now recommends alcohol-based hand purifiers. You clip the vial to belt and use it as you walk from bed to bed. This may all sound a bit silly, but "the CDC estimates this saves an hour in an eight-hour intensive care shift." 
