Latest news with #handwashing
CBC
28-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
'How's my technique?' Your handwashing habits still need work
A Canadian microbiologist says pandemic handwashing habits likely didn't stick. An Ottawa hospital is turning to technology to make sure they get better.
CBC
28-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
It takes more than a pandemic to make good handwashing habits stick
You've likely let your handwashing habit slide as the pandemic moved out of the spotlight. Jason Tetro doesn't like it, but he understands. The Canadian microbiologist and handwashing evangelist said the COVID-19 health crisis helped focus people's minds on proper hand hygiene, but even as early March 2020 he was predicting a backslide once the immediate threat of a new virus faded. Surveys on handwashing trends suggest Tetro was right. "I feel vindicated, but at the same time it's really depressing," he said. Tetro, who wrote The Germ Cod e and The Germ Files, said high-touch surfaces like door handles, shared office equipment and cellphones still carry the risk of microbes, so people should wash their hands or at least use sanitizer after touching them. "Unfortunately, a lot of people simply are choosing not to do that because they don't think that there's any COVID there, so they're not going to do it anymore," he said. A pre-pandemic study from the International Journal of Epidemiology yielded the nauseating statistic that only about 51 per cent of people in wealthy countries with greater access to handwashing facilities wash their hands with soap after "potential fecal contact." While there hasn't been a comparable study, a recent National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) survey in the U.S. found 48 percent of adults admitted to forgetting or choosing not to wash their hands at key moments, like after visiting grocery stores, restaurants or health-care facilities. While the methodology used in that survey was different, you might take some relief from the fact that 69 per cent of American adults reported they wash their hands after using the bathroom. But even after the world ground to a halt over a contagious respiratory virus, only one-third report washing their hands with soap after coughing or sneezing. The NFID's campaign says handwashing can help prevent 80 per cent of infectious disease. That message was amplified with signage, social media posts and hand sanitizing stations during the pandemic, but Tetro said it's now common to find those hand sanitizing dispensers empty. "Those nudges were fantastic during the pandemic, but when you take those nudges away you're inadvertently saying that maybe hand hygiene isn't important anymore," he said. "If you're not going to fill them, then take them off the walls." A Canadian survey in 2021 reported more than 90 percent of participants were washing their hands more frequently due to the pandemic, with 63 percent strongly agreeing with that statement. A hospital's handwashing helper Even health-care workers weren't immune from waning hand hygiene, according to a study of Ontario hospitals published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Tetro said more recent studies have shown a net improvement among health professionals. To shore up those gains, The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus is using 3D imaging sensors installed in the ceiling of their transitional care ward to keep up those nudges, and it's led to a sustained increase in handwashing. The artificially intelligent monitoring systems (AIMS) platform has been programmed to recognize proper handwashing technique. "There's a light, it's that reminder and it just triggers something in your brain," said Sybile Delice-Charlemagne, clinical manager in the hospital's transitional care unit where the "nodes" have been installed for nearly six months. "As I'm washing my hands, I wait for the light to turn green." The nodes are networked to track handwashing as busy staff move from room to room, allowing them to scrub with sanitizer while they walk. "They have an abundance of things to do," said Scott Delaney, CEO of Lumenix, the Ottawa-based company behind AIMS. "Our ability to provide assistance along the way is what is providing that sustained change," he said. Delaney said the system has dramatically slowed potentially deadly outbreaks wherever it's installed. "We've been able to decrease hospital-acquired infections or outbreaks in the wards we're installed [in] by greater than 90 per cent, as well as deliver a 41 per cent increase in hand-hygiene compliance," said Delaney. Delaney said the technology will soon be adopted by the McGill University Health Centre, and will be expanded at The Ottawa Hospital — all while preserving the privacy and anonymity of the people it monitors.
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
4 biggest handwashing mistakes that could increase germs and viruses
Proper handwashing could save a million lives a year, according to an expert — and yet many people are doing it improperly, often due to misconceptions surrounding the practice. Doctors recommend washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. The NFID 2025 State of Handwashing Report, recently released by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, provides details on Americans' handwashing habits (and mistakes). The report is based on a survey of 3,587 U.S. adults, conducted in November and December 2024 and March 2025. Robert Hopkins Jr., MD, medical director of NFID in Maryland, spoke to Fox News Digital about what Americans are doing wrong when it comes to handwashing. "We have to recognize that there are a number of important infections that hand sanitizers are not effective at preventing," Hopkins said. One example is norovirus, a highly contagious stomach virus that is common on cruise ships and is also spread seasonally. The virus cannot be killed with hand sanitizer, but is "easily destroyed" with soap and water, according to Hopkins. Certain viruses are "encapsulated" and can be destroyed with either soap and water or hand sanitizer, the expert said. However, there is also an "unencapsulated" type of virus, which has an outer coat that does not break down from the alcohol in hand sanitizer. Using soap and water is a more effective way to kill the germs, the doctor noted. When people cough or sneeze into their sleeve, they could still spread germs afterward. "If you cough into your sleeve … go ahead and wash your hands with soap and water as well," Hopkins advised. "We also have to recognize that we often bring our hands up close to our face, touch our nose, our glasses, other parts of our face," noted the doctor, who is based in Arkansas. "If we have bacteria or viruses on our hands, we can introduce them into our mucous membranes, where we can get infections." The NFID report stated that one in four respondents washed their hands more frequently in the fall and winter, when cold and flu are prevalent. "The seasonal variance is understandable given that some respiratory diseases, including flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), tend to peak during fall and winter," the report stated. "However, other germs — like those that cause colds, norovirus and other infectious diseases — can spread throughout the year. It is important to maintain proper hand hygiene all year round to help stay healthy." Most adults wash their hands after using the bathroom (69%), handling food (48%) and handling human or animal waste (39%), according to NFID's report. "We need to reinforce the importance of this simple tool." Only 30% of respondents, however, reported that they are likely to wash their hands after sneezing or coughing. Nearly half of survey respondents admitted to forgetting or choosing not to wash their hands at key times, like after visiting a grocery store, restaurant, doctor's office, pharmacy, clinic or hospital. "We need to reinforce the importance of this simple tool," Hopkins said of handwashing. "I think most of the public health campaigns around hand hygiene have been focused on healthcare settings," he added. Regarding handwashing as a practice in general, Hopkins emphasized, "We need to bring this back into the fold." For more Health articles, visit "If everybody washed their hands more consistently, we could probably save somewhere in the neighborhood of a million lives a year."
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Americans still don't know how and when to wash their hands
Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being. Some Americans are still not doing their due diligence when it comes to washing their hands. That's according to a new survey that found nearly half of its respondents forget or choose not to wash their hands at key times, such as after visiting grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops and health care settings including a doctor's office or hospital. For some of us, the hygiene lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic apparently have not sunk in — although the survey, funded by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, did find that 33% of participants wash their hands more now than they did during the crisis. 'We have been talking about handwashing probably back to the days when all of us were in preschool or even kindergarten,' said Dr. Robert Hopkins, the foundation's medical director. 'I would have hoped that we would think of that as a core way of keeping ourselves healthy regardless of our other health behaviors. 'It's a nonspecific way that we can reduce risk for exposure to infectious diseases, along with dirt, grime [and] all of the other things we don't like to see on our hands.' Released Monday, on World Hand Hygiene Day, the survey is part of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases' Hands in for Handwashing Campaign, which raises awareness of the importance of handwashing to help stop the spread of infectious diseases. The research was conducted by NORC (formerly called the National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago. The report highlights when, where and why nearly 3,600 adults surveyed between December and March were most likely to wash or not wash their hands, and how some of those habits differed between age groups and genders. Sixty-two percent of participants correctly answered that washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds is the method that most effectively reduces the spread of germs, while 13% thought less time would be enough and 24% believed more time is needed. The top three situations that prompted respondents to wash their hands were using the bathroom, handling food and handling human or animal waste. 'This is good news, given that a single gram of human feces can contain 1 trillion germs — including Salmonella, E. coli, and norovirus — that can cause disease,' the report stated. But only 30% of participants said they were most likely to wash their hands after sneezing or coughing, 'which is concerning given how easily respiratory diseases such as influenza … can spread,' the report added. Among the nearly half of adults who didn't wash their hands at important times, forgetting was the most common reason why. But 20% actively chose to not wash their hands, with some thinking that the practice wasn't necessary, that they didn't have time or that they didn't want to dry out their hands. Men were more likely than women to not wash their hands at important times and to think handwashing requires less time. Adults older than 60 were most diligent in their handwashing habits, with 74% doing so after using the bathroom or handling food. The greater likelihood in this age group may be due to awareness of the fact that older adults have a higher risk of getting sick, according to the report. Or the trend could be caused by a longer lifetime of habits, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, who wasn't involved in the research. 'Older folks, we didn't have the hand sanitizers when we were younger,' Benjamin said. 'When I went outside to play, when I came back in, I was supposed to wash my hands. So I think that you're looking at behaviors that may have changed from a generation to another generation.' Some participants' handwashing habits depended on the season, with 26% reporting washing their hands more frequently in the fall and winter. The variance makes sense given that some respiratory illnesses peak during colder weather, the report stated. Public health messaging is also more prevalent during this season, Benjamin said. 'However, other germs — like those that cause colds, norovirus, and other infectious diseases — can spread throughout the year,' according to the survey. 'It is important to maintain proper hand hygiene all year round to help stay healthy.' Most adults surveyed said they wash their hands to protect their own health, feel clean, avoid spreading germs to others, and avoid getting sick and missing work or school. Handwashing can make a big difference. 'Since about 80% of infectious diseases are spread by dirty hands, routine, proper handwashing throughout the year can significantly help prevent the spread of infectious diseases,' according to the report. 'In just 20 seconds, handwashing can help prevent the spread of diseases like flu, COVID-19, and norovirus.' The habit can also prevent 1 in 3 people from getting diarrhea and 1 in 5 people from developing a respiratory illness, Dr. Vincent Hill, adjunct associate professor of environmental health at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, told CNN in 2020. For people who often forget to wash their hands, an increase in public health signage in public — or in do-it-yourself signage at home — reminding people to do so could be worthwhile, Benjamin said. And if you're one of those people who doesn't wash their hands after using the restroom because they 'only went pee,' Hopkins urged people to remember that in public restrooms especially, there are at least millions of bacteria on every surface you're touching, from the many people going in and out of that bathroom all day. Even if your urine is sterile, it doesn't mean everything else is. Hand sanitizer is great to have when you absolutely can't wash your hands, but you shouldn't depend on it, given its inability to kill certain bacteria or viruses such as C. diff and norovirus, Hopkins said. If you're worried about your hands being too dry after washing or sanitizing, you can carry a small bottle of lotion in your bag or car, experts said. Applying lotion when your hands are still slightly damp helps your skin lock in moisture. 'Proper handwashing puts the power of health in our own hands,' said Patricia A. Stinchfield, immediate past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
