The tune of a popular nursery rhyme can be used to help children remember the six-step hand hygiene technique recommended by the World Health Organization, according to an article in the BMJ.
The tune to the song "Brother John," also known as "Frère Jacques," can be used with new lyrics to remind preschool and school-age children the steps involved in the WHO hand hygiene technique. Here are the six steps sung to the tune, with the original lyric in parenthesis:
1. Scrub your palms (Are you sleeping?)
2. Between the fingers (Are you sleeping?)
3. Wash the back [one hand], wash the back [other hand] (Brother John, Brother John)
4. Twirl the tips [one hand] around [other hand] (Morning bells are ringing)
5. Scrub them upside down (Morning bells are ringing)
6. Thumb attack [one thumb]! Thumb attack [other thumb]! (Ding, ding, dong; ding, ding, dong)
Each line is repeated as needed to complete each step.
Songs can be a particularly useful tool in helping children learn and remember. The ABC song is a popular tool for teaching the alphabet. Researchers developed the lyrics of the hand hygiene song in collaboration with children of preschool and primary school age. Ensuring proper hand hygiene in child care centers and schools can help stop the spread of infectious diseases, such as influenza.
"Given the longstanding clinical challenges of compliance with the six-step technique, there is also potential for this musical mnemonic to be adopted in the healthcare setting," the researchers said.