Dr. Mark Sklansky, a professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, is concerned about the spread of germs in the medical community. He has performed a trial of “handshake-free zones” in which people avoid shaking hands, or use an alternative greeting, in order to test the effectiveness of avoiding contact with others’ hands. Others argue that stricter “hand hygiene” is the solution to the issue, but Sklansky argues that awareness of handshaking and disease vectors can fit into such a program.

Key Takeaways:

• Only 40 percent of health workers follow hand hygiene recommendations.
• Some believe the problem isn’t the handshake, but the handshaker and that medical personnel just need to scrub better.
• Not shaking hands may seem rude, but it can save lives, especially in at risk populations like the NICU.

“Although there is no data to prove that reducing handshakes limits hospital infections, one study showed that bumping fists was more hygienic than shaking hands”

Read more: https://www.dailynews.com/health/20170604/keep-your-germs-and-your-handshake-to-yourselves-some-medical-experts-say