Despite all the reports of deadly medical errors -- more of them than you'd care to believe are tied to a lack of proper hygiene -- it seems health care workers still haven't figured out that dirty hands are a problem, according to a British study.
There's a vital reason to be concerned about hand washing: In the UK alone, a tenth of patients come down with infections from contact with the health care system, killing some 5,000 people alone, at cost of more than $4 BILLION annually.
After conducting a review of studies to learn how improve the hand-washing habits of health care workers, scientists determined only two trials of poor quality were worth the effort, leading them to conclude one meeting won't change the habits of these workers long-term, much less for the short run.
Perhaps this revelation shouldn't be so surprising, considering the $2.2 TRILLION spent on mediocre health care annually in America, and that the deadly mistakes of their peers contribute to it dearly.
More evidence you should take matters into your hands by taking better responsibility for your health, not leaving it in the hands of a fatally flawed conventional paradigm.
The Cochrane Library April 18, 2007Yahoo News April 18, 2007