Now Hear This: People, Trends and Ideas

Sniffing Out Germs

Among the newest gadgets in the war on germs is HyGreen, a system that monitors hand hygiene among hospital staffers. A health care worker squirts sanitizer gel or soap onto the hands, and then passes each under a wall-mounted sensor. A wireless signal from the worker’s badge activates a green light on the hand-washing sensor. When the worker enters a patient’s room, a monitor reports the badge’s status: Green means clean hands; unclean hands trigger the badge to vibrate, reminding the worker to scrub up. Testing continues at the University of Florida Medical Center through spring 2010.

Back on the Charts

When Britain declared war on Nazi Ger­many 70 years ago, it not only launched World War II but also the career of English singer Vera Lynn, left. Now 92, Dame Vera recently became the oldest living artist ever to top the UK album chart, with We’ll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn. No live concerts are in her future. “You get to a certain age and the voice doesn’t last,” she says.

Medical Ethics?

Some medical students are making a mockery of the Hippocratic oath. A study in the Sept. 23 Journal of the American Medical Association says 60 percent of medical school deans reported they were aware of “unprofessional content” being posted by students on online social networking sites such as Twitter. The infractions include profanity, sexually suggestive material and breaches of doctor-patient confidentiality.

Mike Tucker is a writer in Virginia.