Tarzan M.D. weighs in on hand washing (and trunk washing).

Oh… and just FYI… If any of my residents ever grab my rear like that while we’re on rounds… Yep, you’re outta here (hand washing or not).

Feel free to use Tarzan MD images in your talks and presentations (as long as you include the attribution to GiggleMed.com). Just right click on the image & choose “Save As…”. And if you like them enough to use them in your talks, well, then why not buy some Tarzan MD gifts:

Just when you thought you heard of everything… GiggleMed goes and puts a Throckmorton app out there for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

For those of you in the dark on Throckmorton’s Sign, it is a somewhat fictitious radiographic sign that clinically astute radiologists use in determining the highest yield portion of a radiology image to focus on.

Here’s how it works… You’re reading an Xray or a CT or something… so far it’s pretty unremarkable. But then you notice… the male organ (yes, the one of spam filter fame) is pointing toward one side. Logically then, if something is pointing there… well, you look over there.

Throckmorton’s Sign says that whichever side the Spam Filter Organ is pointing towards, that’s the side of the lesion.

Well, thinking that’s a little unfair, GiggleMed decided to even the playing field and make this important radiographic sign available for use in all patients… male and female… and in all studies… whether the bottom half of the body is imaged or not.

So here it is: the iThrock radiology humor application – available free on iTunes.

Also, check out the hilarious iHealth Humor gifts in GiggleMed’s Medical Humor Gift Store… and of course, there’s a Throckmorton section too.

Before we needed healthcare reform… before Joint Commission (you know, the Good Ole Days)… before the FDA… before insurance companies… there was one physician to lead us through the healthcare jungle – Tarzan, M.D. (and soon to be introduced, Jane DO). In Episode 2, we find him offering smoking cessation advice. Those twigs kinda smell funny, give the patient the munchies, and do wonders for his glaucoma.

See Tarzan MD’s 1st patient here – Tarzan MD – Episode 1

Feel free to use Tarzan MD images in your talks and presentations (as long as you include the attribution to GiggleMed.com). Just right click on the image & choose “Save As…”. And if you like them enough to use them in your talks, well, then why not buy some Tarzan MD gifts:

As physician practices, hospitals, and health systems across the country struggle with meaningful use, we offer a real-world view from the ground.

Check it out:

Feel free to use this image in your talks and presentations (as long as you include the attribution to GiggleMed.com). Just right click on the image & choose “Save As…” (PC) or “Save Image As…” (Mac).

Get these great gifts:

Before Joint Commission… before the FDA… before insurance companies… there was one physician to lead us through the healthcare jungle – Tarzan, M.D. Way ahead of his time, Dr. Tarzan’s descriptions of clinical findings were in the patients’ language. His instructions were persuasive. And his patients could eat all of the fat and red meat they wanted. (And in future episodes, when he meets Jane, D.O. we find a healthcare infrastructure in complete harmony – free of egos and politics.)

Here’s a novel idea…

Why don’t you try to reduce hospital acquired infections with campaigns that actually work?

Too often, hospitals and healthcare organizations just pump out generic posters, corny phrases on stickers, and plant some “champions” among us to try to motivate us. But generic messages only add to the Sign Fatigue we all experience. (Kind of like those annoying banner ads on web pages. After a while, we don’t even see them anymore.) Plus, we’re always a little cautious… can’t be too racey… can’t be too controversial… don’t wanna rock the boat… what would marketing say? or worse, what would legal say?

Well, sometimes you just have to say, “WTF?” (Why The Foley?)

Click on the icons to see other WTF – Why The Foley? gifts, signs, shirts, and more:

More ideas for infection control:

• Hand Washing – C. diff Clarice
• Hand Washing – C. diff Taste
• C. diff Crossing
• MRSA Crossing
• Got Foley? Sign
• C. diff Shared Among Friends

Medical humor can sometimes tick people off, even if it rings true. Take this funny pay for performance commentary on the state of nephrology, for example…

Feel free to use this image in your talks and presentations (as long as you include the attribution to GiggleMed.com). Just right click on the image & choose “Save As…” (PC) or “Save Image As…” (Mac).

Check out these funny nephrology humor gifts:

• I’m Too Sexy For My Kidneys
• My Nephrologist Can Beat Up Your Nephrologist
• Ask Me About My Catheter
• Got Foley?

Typhoid Mary, we miss you. Well, not really… we just miss the fact that there was only one of you. These days we have a whole fleet. (And no, I’m not talkin’ enema, here. I’m not sure why GiggleMed readers always revert to middle school humor, but c’mon… I’m trying to be serious here.) If you thought Typhoid Mary had issues, check out C. diff Clarice.

It’s time to spice up your infection control campaign with humor. One of two things is happening for you: (A) Your hand washing numbers are still in the toilet, or (B) You are having awesome success. If your numbers are in the toilet, what you’re trying isn’t working. Try humor. And if your numbers are awesome, it undoubtedly came with some effort – so show a little appreciation to the people in the trenches.

In short, show them this:

Feel free to use this image in your talks and presentations (as long as you include the attribution to GiggleMed.com). Just right click on the image & choose “Save As…” (PC) or “Save Image As…” (Mac).

Check out these hilarious infection control humor gifts:

And if you think GiggleMed products are awesome (or even if you don’t), check out Despair. I cannot look at their products without laughing out loud. They’re the inspiration behind our medical ‘inspirational’ signs (like the one above). After you buy something from GiggleMed, go here:

Quick disclosure, Ladies and Germs… GiggleMed.com might earn a piddly commission if you click through any links on our site (and that is the case with every link in this blog post).

Teamwork is a must in healthcare. There’s no “i” in team… but there sure is an “m” and an “e”.

Feel free to use this image in your talks and presentations (as long as you include the attribution to GiggleMed.com). Just right click on the image & choose “Save As…” (PC) or “Save Image As…” (Mac). By the way, watch for the new GiggleMed.com exclusive members only area. Coming very soon.

Hand washing is, of course, a major concern in the healthcare setting. Too often, though, the infection control campaigns that hospitals and large organizations role out are boring, dry, or even counter-productive (when using negative social proof – “Only 40% of our physicians are using proper hand washing techniques”).

If you really want to control infection, improve hand washing technique, increase compliance, etc… then stop being so stuffy about it. You can be boring or you can be effective.
If you want effective infection control, try something people will remember.

Feel free to use this image in your talks and presentations (as long as you include the attribution to GiggleMed.com). Just right click on the image & choose “Save As…” (PC) or “Save Image As…” (Mac). By the way, watch for the new GiggleMed.com exclusive members only area. Coming very soon. (Why am I mentioning it here? (1) To get all of the people asking me about it off of my back, (2) You will have access to hundreds of downloads like this one for use in your presentations, (3) Marketers tell me I need to build anticipation, and (4) I’m thinking up some awesome prizes for members.)

Check out these hilarious infection control humor gifts: