Why Hospitals Want Patients to Ask Doctors, ‘Have You Washed Your Hands?’

As the concern for antibiotic-resistant infections grows, hospitals are encouraging patients to make sure doctors have washed their hands before examining them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that infections from hospitals and other medical care facilities impact more than 1 million people each year, taking the lives of nearly 100,000 patients. Research has found that those who work in hospitals only follow proper hand-washing guidelines 50% of the time, and patients are not comfortable with this. The CDC's video, "Hand Hygiene Saves Lives," has led to a rise in the number of patients asking their doctors if they've washed their hands. "Hand hygiene is probably the most important thing health-care workers can do to protect their patients from infection," says John Jernigan, who is the director of the CDC's hospital infection-prevention efforts and appears in the video. Other organizations and hospitals are using similar tactics to teach patients about the role that proper hand-washing techniques play in the prevention of infection. Since some patients feel uncomfortable or afraid to ask if doctors have washed their hands, many hospitals have put up signs or directed employees to wear buttons letting patients know that it's OK to ask. During your next checkup, don't be afraid to help reduce your risk of infection and ask your doctor to wash his or her hands.

The Wall Street Journal, 9/30/13