Why your physician is a filthy pig

It's no secret that hospitals are the most dangerous places on the planet. But it's not because of the sick patients - it's because of the doctors who are treating them.

According to a new study out of Australia, 60 percent of doctors don't wash their hands after attending to a patient. I was so disgusted I wanted to scrub my own hands while reading about these slobs in the Medical Journal of Australia.

And here's the worst part of all - that number's an improvement after a recent hygiene campaign reminding these "medical professionals" of the importance of soaping up. Before that, an unbelievable 70 percent of them weren't washing between patients.

Now, before you dismiss that as a filthy habit from a far-away country, you should know that our docs aren't much better. You'd think someone who spent the better part of a decade in medical school would have learned the importance of washing his hands - but one study found that only half of our own physicians take the time to wash their hands between patients.

The problem is even worse in hospitals, where doctors go from room to room visiting some of the sickest of the sick. This isn't just gross - it's potentially deadly. No wonder germs are spreading in hospitals at an alarming rate.

By some estimates, nearly 2 million Americans get infections in hospitals every year - and nearly 100,000 die from them. Makes you wonder how many doctors have a hand in spreading - rather than stopping - these germs.

Whether you're in a hospital or at the doctor's office, insist on better.

Just about every exam room has a sink in it (and if yours doesn't, find a doctor with a real clinic). When your doc walks in, he should make a beeline for the sink before he even shakes your hand.

If he doesn't, don't be afraid to point it out to him - and if you're too embarrassed to do so, take a second to think about whom he might have been touching - and where he may have been poking - in the room next door.

So ask him to wash his hands, and don't feel bad about it.