More power to the fist bump

Last year, I blogged about a study that suggested that fist bumps replace the handshake, since the fist bump has less surface area contact and the duration is shorter. More recently I blogged that some physicians in Los Angeles were recommending that handshakes be banned in hospitals. Now a new study in the American Journal of Infection Control demonstrates that the transfer of bacteria is 20-fold higher with a handshake than a fist bump.

Ok, all you infection preventionists and hospital epidemiologists: what are we waiting for? Well, of course, the randomized controlled trial demonstrating lower rates of healthcare associated infections. Because, you know, common sense is quaint.

Photo: Craig Lassig / EPA

In praise of the fist bump

A new paper in the Journal of Hospital Infection piqued my interest. It's a study about the fist bump. The investigators did an analysis of surface area and duration of contact comparing the handshake to the fist bump. They found that the surface area of the palm is about 4 times larger than that of the fist, and the handshake lasts 3 times longer than the fist bump. Like social distancing, cough etiquette, and bare below the elbows, the fist bump may be another simple behavior that could have the ability to reduce transmission of infection. It's worth exploring.

Photo: In These Times