# Do doctors and other medical workers get sick more or less often than the general population? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 30, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063 "2009-12-30T17:07:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063/1 "2009-12-30T17:07:33Z")
On the one hand they are exposed to far more infections, but they should also have hardier immune systems as a result. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063/2 "2009-12-30T21:17:16Z")
I asked my PCP this question the other day and he said that medical workers are more aware of actions they can take to reduce the spread of infection (like washing hands often and not touching their mouths or eyes with dirty hands). I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a study out there somewhere that addresses this very question. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063/3 "2009-12-30T22:34:24Z")
My mother was a nurse in the pediatric hosptial at the height of the Polio epidemic in the 50s and I remember asking her if she was afraid of getting it She looked at me and said “Ah, Mark we would constantly wash our hands and use proper barrier nursing. There was little risk.” And that seems to be the case, if you wash your hands alot, and from what I read, it’s not the soap or hot/cold water but the amount of time washing that counts. You should use soap and water and rub at least 30 seconds for maximum effectiveness to remove germs ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063/4 "2009-12-31T16:26:04Z")
> [@statsman1982](#): > > medical workers are more aware of actions they can take to reduce the spread of infection (like washing hands often and not touching their mouths or eyes with dirty hands). I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a study out there somewhere that addresses this very question. They may be _aware_, but do they do it? I remember a study done in a hospital using hidden cameras that found hand-washing was woefully underdone. I’ll try to find it. [Here is just one.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/3747387.stm) From abstract: > [@](#): > > Handwashing compliance by visitors to patients was significantly higher than among personnel (P \< .001). Handwashing compliance among personnel before entering the ICU was low. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063/5 "2009-12-31T22:10:24Z")
Medical _students_, on the other hand, famously tend to acquire the symptoms of whatever disease they are currently studying. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063/6 "2009-12-31T22:23:04Z")
[An old thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=248219) on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063/7 "2009-12-31T22:57:25Z")
I dunno; it seemed like every time I cycled through Microbiology lab I picked something up (and the handwashing for lab techs is pretty much non-stop). Maybe that’s what allowed all the bugs in; all the chapped skin on my hands. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063/8 "2009-12-31T23:26:52Z")
I had a lot of viral infections in my first 3 or 4 years in medicine. Since then, I tend to have a lot fewer. Perhaps it is due to hand washing, as I am fairly consistent with washing my hands between every patient, and after any significant exposures. However I can’t rule out that I finally developed some resistance to the more common viral syndromes making the rounds. ---
**Author:** ![WhyWhyWhy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whywhywhy/32/7539_2.png) [@WhyWhyWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyWhyWhy)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063/9 "2010-01-01T00:35:18Z")
Hmmmmm…any soapy products you experts would recommend? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-doctors-and-other-medical-workers-get-sick-more-or-less-often-than-the-general-population/523063/10 "2010-01-01T02:16:57Z")
I think these links are about as good as you’re going to get in terms of evidence (as opposed to anecdote). The second one will probably be of greater interest. [Occupationally Acquired Infections in Health Care Workers: Part I](http://www.annals.org/content/125/10/826.full) [Occupationally Acquired Infections in Health Care Workers: Part II](http://www.annals.org/content/125/11/917.long)