Rapping Nurses? Boston Hospitals Launch Creative Hand-Washing Campaigns

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Rapping Nurses? Boston Hospitals Launch Creative Hand-Washing Campaigns

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A nurse at Mass General made a music video, called the "Cal Stat Rap," as a cutesy way to address a serious issue. It's been shown to hospital officials, visitors and at educational presentations. In what could be the next YouTube sensation, it features nurses rhymin', high-fivin' and conga-line dancin' as they demonstrate proper hand hygiene.

"When you go and give a little handshake," the lyrics go, "a little squirt is all it takes. Boom boom chicka chick Cal Stat."

Across town, Tufts Medical Center also used to have poor hand-washing rates-as low as 33 percent. The hospital's chief medical officer, David Fairchild, says the staff knows how critical clean hands are. But when things get busy, rules get broken.

"If you ask anybody in the hospital, everybody would answer, 'Oh, yes, washing our hands-we do that, it's important,' " he says. "It's just that in the hectic day-to-day, it's one of those things that just occasionally gets missed."

So last year Tufts started a hand-washing campaign using campy humor. Like a take-off on the popular Budweiser commercials. But instead of "wassup," buttons at the hospital say "washup." Get it? Wash up. That's hospital humor. Tufts also makes giant stickers reminding people to wash their hands and hangs them near sinks.

[Neveranurseagain, RN]

"Across town, Tufts Medical Center also used to have poor hand-washing rates — as low as 33 percent. The hospital’s chief medical officer, David Fairchild, says the staff knows how critical clean hands are. But when things get busy, rules get broken."

Maybe if they staffed well enough to allow the nurses TIME to wash their hands they wouldn't need Rappin Nurses! Sounds like they have time to wash their hands when they aren't too busy!

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