Dr. Fist-Bump
Image Credit: Ghareeb et al. (2013), Journal of Hospital Infection Source: Fist Bumps for Germophobes by Christina Agapakis on Oscillator The thought of outlawing handshakes and making fist bumps mandatory for hospital employees might strike you as rather amusing.
By Kalliopi Monoyios
This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
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Image Credit:Ghareeb et al. (2013), Journal of Hospital Infection
Source:Fist Bumps for Germophobes by Christina Agapakis on Oscillator
The thought of outlawing handshakes and making fist bumps mandatory for hospital employees might strike you as rather amusing. But in studies that attempt to quantify the transfer of potential pathogens via customary greetings such as handshakes, high-fives, and, yes, fist bumps, handshakes consistently transfer the most bacteria from one individual to another, as illustrated by this cornucopia of colonies that sprung up after 20 handshakes in one study. Fist bumps, in contrast, transfer the least, making them a smarter (and perhaps cooler) greeting for doctors and nurses to engage in. Read more at Christina Agapakis’ post Fist Bumps for Germophobes on Oscillator.
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