PATIENTS at York Hospital are being encouraged to ask doctors a seemingly impertinent question: have you washed your hands?
While this may sound a little forward, it is in fact a pioneering example of patient power.
Patients are being urged to ask the question before they are examined, as part of a scheme to reduce hospital- acquired infections, such as the superbug MRSA.
This sounds like an excellent idea, so long as traditional British reserve doesn't make people too shy to ask.
Updated: 11:20 Thursday, May 01, 2003
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