Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Hip With the Times - July 2017 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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1 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U L Y 2 0 1 7 Ideas Work That W e've dramatically decreased handshaking in our facility without being militant about it. Instead, we've used educa- tion to get people to understand what's at stake and encour- aged alternative gestures to greet each other — waves, nods, bowing, even fist bumps. It hasn't been easy. Handshaking has been ingrained in our culture for centuries. But when we shake hands, we unwittingly convey bac- teria and viruses to our partners. Our hands are vectors for disease. And the hands of physicians typically act as vehicles for many more bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant bugs, than the hands of the average person. Research suggests that physician compliance with hand-hygiene policies is about 40%. I suspect it's actually lower, because there's a difference between washing your hands, and washing them effective- ly, which takes 15 to 20 seconds and proper technique. (Using a few drops of alcohol-based gel and rubbing your hands together for 5 sec- Create a Handshake-Free Zone HAND HYGIENE • KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF As part of its infection prevention efforts, UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital strongly dis- courages handshakes at its facility.

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