Patient Attitudes and Participation in Hand Co-Washing in an Outpatient Clinic Before and After a Prompt.

Despite recent national emphasis, outpatient hand washing can be less than optimal. We tested a new approach involving both patient and physician hand washing. The study consisted of 384 questionnaires, 184 from phase 1 and 200 from phase 2. Patients stated doctors washed their hands 96.6% before examining them pre-intervention and 99.5% of the time post-intervention. Patients endorsed the importance of hand washing 98.7% of the time. "Co-washing" may offer a process to increase the practice of hand washing and decrease infection risk.

Screening for erectile dysfunction in the primary care practice: results of a survey.

To evaluate the screening patterns of primary care physicians (PCP) with regards to erectile dysfunction, a study was performed using an Institution Review Board Approved SHIM (Sexual Health Inventory for Men) questionnaire of 131 male patients presenting to the Family Practice Clinic at West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown. A total of 109 surveys were completed and the data were compiled and analyzed with descriptive statistics using SPSS version 10.0 software. Of these patients, over 92% were Caucasian. The average age bracket for the study population was 40-50, and the average number of risk factors for ED, not including age, was 1.65. Forty-one percent of patients had a SHIM score less than or equal to 21, indicative of an element of ED. A total of 84% had primary care physicians, 22% of patients with a PCP were screened for ED. Of those who were screened by their PCP over half were initiated by the patient. As a result of this study, we believe the SHIM instrument should be performed on patients with any identifiable risk factor since effective treatment of ED is available, and ED can be associated with occult cardiac disease.