Finger licking bad (in rehabilitation units)

Martin Gardiner

The nosocomial problems associated with healthcare professionals repetitively licking their fingers while reviewing hospital charts was first formally documented by Myron M. LaBan, MD FAAPMR – the lead author of a 2004 brief report for the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (Volume 83, Issue 1, pp. 75-78). The report encouraged healthcare professionals to :

1) Wash their hands before and after reviewing medical charts.

2) Become aware of (and ideally refrain from) licking their fingers.

See: • ‘Pertinacious Habit on a Rehabilitation Unit: Repetitive Finger Licking While Paging Through the Clinical Chart’

Also see: (from Dr. LaBan)

• “Numb Chin” Syndrome

• Lessons Learned Through Leadership: How to Avoid Looking Like an Onion With Your Head Stuck in the Ground and Your Feet Above

• Airport induced “cervical traction” radiculopathy: the OJ syndrome

Coming Soon:  Problems associated with solutions to problems associated with healthcare professionals repetitively licking their fingers while reviewing hospital charts.