The musical video "Heroes Wash Up" was created by the Occupational Health Nurses at Penn Medicine. Like their flu video last year, this one has gotten thousands of hits on "YouTube."
Using a pop song from China, the nurses wrote their own lyrics, to drive home the need for handwashing in and out of the hospital.
"People cough, sneeze, touch their nose - do something dirty," says Mel Kearney, R.N., "and then they sit down & eat."
In addition to producing the video, these germ-busters swabbed co-workers hands, to show what was there. The laboratory cultures show that even those not directly involved with patients need to take care. They found that workers who wear gloves may have bacteria lurking underneath, and that washing after computer use is a must!
"Keyboards are the number one contaminated surface," says Jenny Hayes, R.N.," phones are second."
