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The Association of Operating Room Nurses recommends ambient tem-peratures between 20°C and 25°C. On induction of anesthesia, forced-air warming should be initiated using the manufacturer’s guidelines for use. The literature sup-ports the use of forced air as the best warming approach because of its ease of use, efficacy, safety, and price.25,30The use of warmed intravenous fluids in combination with forced-air warming has been shown to positively impact core temperature.27Hand HygieneIn 1825, a French pharmacist published an article recom-mending that physicians and healthcare workers would benefit from moistening their hands with liquid chloride solutions when caring for patients with contagious dis-eases.31 In 1846, an obstetrician and surgeon by the name of Semmelweis encouraged healthcare workers to incor-porate hand washing into their practice as a means to prevent HAIs. Semmelweis observed that women who delivered in the hospital setting were dying of febrile illness at much higher rates, compared with women who deliv-ered at home. He discovered that the hands of healthcare workers were transmitting the toxins that were causing the febrile illness from patient to patient.31 After his dis-covery, he demanded that his nurses and physicians wash their hands with a chlorine solution before caring for a patient. This intervention by Semmelweiss was the first evidence of preventing HAIs by adhering to strict hand hygiene practices. Semmelweis would be disappointed in our progress of reducing HAIs, because they continue to occur at a rate of 10% of hospitalized patients.32 Many of these infections have been attributed to the lack of hand washing by healthcare providers.Numerous studies have proved that healthcare workers’ hands transmit microorganisms to patients.33 Evidence proves that effective hand washing is the cor-nerstone for preventing healthcare-associated infections. It is also important in preventing specific site infections such as catheter-related bloodstream infections, catheter-related urinary tract infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and SSIs.33Studies continue to demonstrate that hand hygiene practices among healthcare workers is at an abysmally low rate. An observational study of the hand hygiene practices of anesthesia providers was performed at a major metropolitan medical center.