Dr. Sklansky and his colleagues conducted a six-month test trial of the zone at two UC Los Angeles’ neonatal intensive care units. The researchers educated the healthcare staff and patients families about why they were launching the handshake-free zones and put up signs on the designated zones’ walls. The signs featured text such as “To help reduce the spread of germs, our NICU is now a handshake-free zone. Please find other ways to greet each other.”
The zones did not prohibit any hand interactions, but suggested people engage in other gestures aside from handshakes like a wave. Dr. Sklansky told KHN, “We aren’t like a military operation. We are just trying to limit the use of handshakes.”
The experiment found institutions can readily implement such zones and many healthcare workers support the idea. The study did not measure whether such zones limited infection rates. The researchers hope this experiment leads to more research about this possibility.
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