First, it was ties. Then it was white coats. Now, physicians are being told handshakes with their patients could be spreading disease.
Dr. Mark Sklansky and colleagues from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles likened the health benefits of banning handshakes from the healthcare environment to bans on smoking in public spaces. Outliers has to say, that's a bit harsh.
Their essay was originally posted on the Journal of the American Medical Association website May 15, and it then appeared in print June 25—which coincidentally was the eve of National Handshake Day.