Why Don't Doctors Wash Their Hands More?

If there is one issue in the patient-doctor relationship that defies all reason, it is this: why don't doctors wash their hands more?

Over the last 30 years, despite countless efforts at change, poor hand hygiene has continued to contribute to the high rates of infections acquired in hospitals, clinics and other health care settings. According to the World Health Organization, these infections affect as many as 1.7 million patients in the U.S. each year, racking up an annual cost of $6.5 billion and contributing to more than 90,000 deaths annually.  

But there is one place where doctors and other caregivers have maintained the highest levels of hand hygiene and defied these grim statistics. That place is the operating room.

What is it about O.R.’s?

In this week’s “Doctor and Patient” column, I write about maintaining sterile technique in the operating room and the new effort of the Joint Commission, the nation’s most important hospital accrediting agency, to change how health care workers and systems approach hand hygiene. Why haven’t we been able to get doctors and other caregivers to wash their hands more? And is it possible to change? I'd love to know what you think. Please leave your comments below or on Tara Parker-Pope’s “Well” blog.

Comments

[hannah]

It would be nice if doctors (and other hospital staff) would just wash their hands on their own, the evidence in support of the need seems overwhelming. But since that doesn't seem to work, why don't patients just ask for it? My Dad has two chronic diseases that have made us hospital veterans. I did not wash my hands frequently enough until I started to think about the connection between my hands and my Dad's health. Made it real easy to remember and provided plenty of motivation to do it. So now, if my Dad is in the hospital or at an appt with one of his doctors, I'm not afraid to remind whomever comes in the room to wash their hands. It's awkward at first, but I don't think I've ever had to remind someone twice. If you wait for someone else to take the initiative it might be a long wait.

[V Bousquet]

I find it extremely difficult to ask anyone serving me in any capacity whatsoever to wash their hands; as much as I'd like to. It almost seems to me like you're calling that individual "nasty" in not so many words. It makes me very uncomfortable to visit doctors because I am so aware of their lack of good hygene when it comes to hand washing. I almost cringe when they walk towards me. I suggest that someone create a standard stick-on in the form of a badge, a necklace or an ear clip--anything that wouldl be clearly visibly and conspicuous--that patients could wear when visiting their doctors. It would become the international hand washing symbol reminder; that way, no one would be faced with the very uncomfortable task of reminding anyone to wash their hands. If, on the other hand, the caregiver ignored the symbol, then there should be a little toot-toot that the wearer could activate, a little squeeze thingy of sorts that would be the "forgot to wash your hands" reminder. If that does not work, we're taking it outside (fistycuffs are in full order).