MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'handwashing'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:16:48 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086170&cid=t_306380_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwho-report-outlines-problem-of-hospital-acquired-infections%2F2011.08.01 The World Health Organization’s new patient safety envoy will take on health care acquired infections in his new role, he announced last week. Liam Donaldson, England’s former Chief Medical Officer, pointed out in his first report as envoy that patient safety incidents occur in 4% to 16% of all hospitalized patients, and that hospital-acquired infections affect hundreds of millions of patients globally. A WHO report outlined the problem. High-income countries had pooled health care acquired infection rates of 7.6%. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control estimated that 4.1 million Europeans incur 4.5 million health care acquired infections annually. In the U.S. the incidence rate was 4.5% in 2002, or 9.3 infections per 1,000 patient-days and 1.7 million affected ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086170 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5086170 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570548&cid=t_306380_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2F5-avoidable-air-travel-health-risks%2F2011.03.10 For those of you planning air travel to your next medical conference (and ACP Internist isn’t too shameless to plug Internal Medicine 2011 — we hope to see you there), TIME reports that there are five health risks that are rare yet have recently happened. Tips on avoiding these maladies include: – E. Coli and MRSA on the tray table. Microbiologists found these two everywhere when they swabbed down flights. Bring your own disinfecting wipes. – Bedbugs in the seat. British Airways fumigated two planes after a passenger posted pictures online about her experience. Wrap clothes in plastic and wash them. – Sick seatmates. Everyone has experienced (or been) this person. Wash your hands. – Deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Tennis star Serena Williams experienced a p... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570548 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0100 4570548 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501583&cid=t_306380_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftheres-still-time-for-a-flu-shot%2F2011.02.21 It’s not too late to protect yourself and your family from the flu. Influenza is about to enter its peak season in the United States. Now is the time to be vigilant in protecting against and preventing the spread of flu. Washing your hands, staying home from work or school, and covering your cough can be incredible steps. But the most effective way to prevent influenza is to get vaccinated. If you haven’t had a flu shot, get one this week. Your child can be immunized if over six months of age, and remember that many children under age nine will need a second dose (booster shot). Find out how to determine if your child needs a second dose. 1o Things To Know About Influenza 1. Influenza peaks in February and March in the United States. Look at the CDC data that reflects ongoing in... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501583 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:00:38 +0100 4501583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4473014&cid=t_306380_118_f&fid=34702&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmspblog%2F%7E3%2FypbSYCPGb9s%2F Human hands – a marvel of masterful design. With them we reach, grasp, work, and create. With them we comfort, arouse, touch, and heal. Their tasks can be elegant, complex, or dirty, and in the case of healthcare, are often all three. This is a reminder and a plea to wash your marvelous, elegant, healing hands. When you don’t your touch may well bring harm, even death. Save lives with soap. (Source: MSSPNexus Blog) MSSPNexus Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4473014 Sun, 13 Feb 2011 12:43:07 +0100 4473014 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4258868&cid=t_306380_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fblood-print-am-i-the-doctor-bleeding%2F2010.12.14 I’m diligently writing a detailed note in the patient’s chart as he speaks of his multiple concerns — severe depression, headaches, and dizziness. I’m not making good eye contact. Often this is effective because I can resist the allure of passively following his narrative to its own diagnostic suspicions. Instead I can record his intuitive guesses without persuasion, formulating my own independent ideas even as I value his. Except that as I write in his chart I notice streaks of red blood appearing among the black script. Am I hallucinating? Am I capable of making paper bleed? Am I, the doctor, bleeding? With closer inspection I notice three small cuts on my chapped knuckles and fingers, products of the incessant and obsessive handwashing compelled by modern medicine. We are ob... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4258868 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:00:50 +0100 4258868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074063&cid=t_306380_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-to-prevent-an-infection-from-your-pet%2F2010.10.15 Can your dog give you MRSA? Sharing with your dog is wonderful — unless you’re sharing bacteria. Pets can harbor harmful germs to pass on to you. Staphylococcus bacteria is a common cause for skin infections in people and animals. A virulent strain of staph, called MRSA, has made headlines for school outbreaks and fatal infections. MRSA infections are usually blamed on dirty locker rooms and contaminated gym clothes, but the source for an infection might be in your lap right now. Here are five ways to avoid catching an infection from your pet: 1. Your pet’s mouth is not clean. It’s teeming with bacteria. Don’t let your pet lick your wounds. A dialysis patient once contracted a life-threatening pasturella bacteria infection from his beautiful golden retriever this way. 2... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074063 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:00:19 +0100 4074063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993911&cid=t_306380_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fall-about-hands-guidance-and-germs%2F2010.09.21 Some interesting items this week involving hands. The one which has gotten much news coverage is the issue of handwashing. Take a look at some of the headlines: High five! Handwashing on rise (Chicago Sun-Times) For Many, ‘Washroom’ Seems to Be Just a Name (The New York Times) 93% of women wash their hands vs. 77% of men (USA Today) All the above are reporting on the same study, but the difference in presentation is amazing to me. The study doesn’t involve handwashing in a hospital or doctor’s office setting. The JAMA article (2nd reference below) does, but this article focuses on whether public reporting of handwashing compliance is helpful or not. Do we inflate our numbers to make ourselves look better? (more…) *This blog post was originally published at ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993911 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3993911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3980779&cid=t_306380_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fhospital-handwashing-reported-public-restrooms%2F Michael Millenson and colleagues are reporting that the rate of handwashing by physicians in America’s hospitals is less than that of users of public restrooms. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3980779 Sat, 18 Sep 2010 07:04:14 +0100 3980779 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3942791&cid=t_306380_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpatient-safety-video-hand-hygiene-saves-lives%2F2010.09.07 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has produced a patient safety video about the importance of handwashing for hospital patients and their healthcare providers. The instructional piece entitled “Hand Hygiene Saves Lives” is available for hospitals to offer their newly-admitted patients. I think everyone should watch and learn: Source: CDC-TV (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3942791 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:00:57 +0100 3942791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3599513&cid=t_306380_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FydhgdxaStUA%2F           A couple of months ago I wrote about hospital-acquired infections – who is susceptible, what causes them, how they are spread, the most common types and steps to prevent the infections.  Today, HAI (Hospital-Acquired Infection or Healthcare-Associated Infection) continues to soar in hospitals all over the world!  This is a global crisis affecting patients, their visitors and healthcare personnel.  I had an email from Barbara Dunn the other day and she has been instrumental in setting up a wonderful website, through Kimberly-Clark Healthcare, entitled “Not on My Watch” at http://www.haiwatch.com/   This site is joining in an effort to educate patients, healthcare professionals and the general public on the dangers of these preventable infections and to protect... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3599513 Tue, 25 May 2010 16:47:49 +0100 3599513 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3552202&cid=t_306380_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fhandwashing-and-the-life-of-everyday-bacteria%2F Handwashing and ubiquitous bottles of Purell seem to be the norm in our new post-N1H1 environment.  But how effective are they?  Over at ScienceBlogs, the Oscillator pulls out the petri dishes and finds out the hard way. Or at least, the scientific way. The results will make you think twice about sharing computer mice. The Results! Part 1 [The Oscillator] The Results! Part 2 [The Oscillator] Post from: BlissTree Handwashing and the Life of Everyday Bacteria (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3552202 Tue, 11 May 2010 14:51:52 +0100 3552202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3271001&cid=t_306380_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F02%2Fobsessivecompulsive-disorder%2F Pathophysiology 1) compulsive behavior and/or obsessive thoughts that impair everyday functioning 2) usually occurs for at least one hour a day Signs and Symptoms 1) repetitive handwashing 2) repetitive counting 3) checking repeatedly as to whether a task has been accomplished 4) fear of germs or contamination 5) repetitive hair pulling (trichotillomania) with bald spots or missing eyebrows or lashes 6) wish to conceal their compulsion 7) feeling of anxiety if compulsive behavior is denied tends to have a prolonged and waxing and waning course Characteristic Test Findings Radiology – positive PET scan findings in caudate nucleus and frontal white matter (PET scans “light up positive) in areas that have high glucose metabolism) Histology/Gross Pathology 1) decreased size of cau... Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3271001 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 23:28:34 +0100 3271001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2950499&cid=t_306380_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.rawvoice.com%2Fpmn_twiv%2Fwww.twiv.tv%2FTWiV056.mp3 Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dick Despommier, Alan Dove, and Cliff Mintz On episode #56 of the podcast ‘This Week in Virology”, Vincent, Dick, Alan, and Cliff answer questions from listeners on swine influenza origins, transmission, virulence, and vaccines, HIV and AIDS, and more. Download TWiV #56 (57 MB .mp3, 82 minutes) Subscribe to TWiV in iTunes, by the RSS feed, or by email Links for this episode: Physicists propose ‘Schrödinger’s Virus‘ experiment (thanks Duncan) Nanoparticle adjuvant (ScienceDaily and Journal of Controlled Release – thanks Jim) Hand washing won’t stop H1N1 at Newsweek (thanks Jim) Newsweek’s virus quiz TWiV timeline (download .m4v file – thanks Ricardo) Sanjay Gupta’s H1N1 experience (thanks Lenn) Swine f... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2950499 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:39:43 +0100 2950499