#FOAMed of the Week: Why don't we wash our hands? From Chris Nickson at SMACC 15

It's really easy, we just need to remember to wash our hands, how hard can it be....?

Yet we really don't do it as often as we should. Chris Nickson looks at why, and why we should.  

This next bit is lifted from the SMACC website: 

Hand hygiene is widely regarded as the bedrock for the prevention of healthcare associated infections (HAIs). HAIs are among the biggest killers in modern medicine. Yet, hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers remains woefully poor.

Why can’t we learn the lessons that Semmelweis taught us nearly 150 years ago? If we can’t teach intelligent healthcare workers to wash their hands properly, what hope do we have as medical educators? This is both a patient safety and a medical education priority. Our patients’ lives are at risk and they deserve better.

So, how can we change our patient’s microbiological cultures? By changing our culture.

The power, it seems, is in our hands