Not all doctors want hand-washing reminders

Previous research has shown doctors and nurses are much more likely to wash up when video systems monitor their compliance and send them feedback (see Reuters Health story of November 30, 2011.) Just under one-third of the health care workers said they didn't like the idea of being reminded to wash their hands by patients, because they thought it could be upsetting or humiliating. And 37 percent said they wouldn't consent to wearing a badge encouraging patients to ask them about hand hygiene. Still, most of the doctors and nurses agreed that patients can play a role in preventing infections transmitted in the hospital, the researchers reported Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.