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I enjoyed this article. It also included links to other studies indicating how often doctors and nurses wash their hands and studies about the effectiveness of

I enjoyed this article. It also included links to other studies indicating how often doctors and nurses wash their hands and studies about the effectiveness of hand washing.

gambiting 6y ago
Sure, but I read the whole thing and while it was amusing, I still have no idea "why" doctors don't wash their hands. They forget? They don't want to? They don't believe it's worth it? The article doesn't say at all.
- jldugger 6y ago
  It did, but it's very easy to miss between all the Semmelweis biography.
  - wombatmobile 6y ago
    The article provided a WHO list of "barriers to adherence with hand-washing guidelines", but that isn't the same thing as explaining the behaviour. What does explain the behaviour? Nobody knows for sure yet, hence the article exists. If we investigate the profession of medicine in the same way as we might approach a diagnostic examination of any other profession or occupation, we uncover a whole category of possibility that the article doesn't explore. Before I put forward this conjecture, which may shock and repel some of you at first, let me point out that it doesn't necessarily have to be occurring in a conscious mode. With that said, consider the business model of doctors. Doctors are trained to diagnose and treat disease. They aren't trained in nursing. For that, they rely on nurses, who are their reliable, ever present subordinates. In terms of hours spent at the wheel, doctors are scarcely trained in disease prevention and hygiene at all, which account for only a tiny % of the curriculum in medical schools. Do you want to know how to eat right, live healthily, and ward off a whole host of diseases? Consult a nutritionist. Doctors aren't trained in nutrition. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30173-1/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5... Doctors aren't trained in preventative medicine or public health, unless they choose those as electives or specialties. Doctors are just primarily trained in anatomy, physiology, disease diagnosis and treatment. “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” ― Upton Sinclair

I enjoyed this article. It also included links to other studies indicating how often doctors and nurses wash their hands and studies about the effectiveness of hand washing.

gambiting 6y ago

Sure, but I read the whole thing and while it was amusing, I still have no idea "why" doctors don't wash their hands. They forget? They don't want to? They don't believe it's worth it? The article doesn't say at all.

jldugger 6y ago
It did, but it's very easy to miss between all the Semmelweis biography.
- wombatmobile 6y ago
  The article provided a WHO list of "barriers to adherence with hand-washing guidelines", but that isn't the same thing as explaining the behaviour. What does explain the behaviour? Nobody knows for sure yet, hence the article exists. If we investigate the profession of medicine in the same way as we might approach a diagnostic examination of any other profession or occupation, we uncover a whole category of possibility that the article doesn't explore. Before I put forward this conjecture, which may shock and repel some of you at first, let me point out that it doesn't necessarily have to be occurring in a conscious mode. With that said, consider the business model of doctors. Doctors are trained to diagnose and treat disease. They aren't trained in nursing. For that, they rely on nurses, who are their reliable, ever present subordinates. In terms of hours spent at the wheel, doctors are scarcely trained in disease prevention and hygiene at all, which account for only a tiny % of the curriculum in medical schools. Do you want to know how to eat right, live healthily, and ward off a whole host of diseases? Consult a nutritionist. Doctors aren't trained in nutrition. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30173-1/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5... Doctors aren't trained in preventative medicine or public health, unless they choose those as electives or specialties. Doctors are just primarily trained in anatomy, physiology, disease diagnosis and treatment. “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” ― Upton Sinclair