Handshake-free Zone in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: initial Feasibility Study

Background: The handshake represents a deeply established social custom, with special importance in the healthcare setting. However, the handshake has been found to transmit disease, and healthcare professionals’ compliance with hand hygiene averages under 50%. As a result, the handshake may have important nosocomial implications, particularly in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which aggregates immunocompromised patients and pathogenic organisms. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that a handshake-free zone (HFZ), in which the handshake is discouraged and alternative greetings are encouraged, could be effectively established within the NICU, would be well-received by …