The act of “fist-bumping” still addressing the cultural expectation of hand-to-hand contact between patients and clinicians bust transmits less bacteria than more traditional forms of greeting.
Researchers performed trials in which a greeter immersed a sterile-gloved hand into a container of germs. The greeter then exchanged a handshake, fist bump or high-five with a sterile-gloved recipient. The receiving gloves were immersed in a solution to count the number of bacteria transferred during contact.
Researchers found that significantly fewer bacteria were transferred during a fist bump than a high-five. Also, nearly twice as many bacteria were transferred during a handshake as compared to a high-five.
In all three forms of greeting, a longer duration of contact and stronger grips were associated with increased bacterial transmission.
The study expands on a recent call to eliminate the handshake in healthcare, according to a viewpoint in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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