The world of medicine has changed drastically over the years for the better. However, there are still some health practices that don’t make a lot of sense in this day and age. Let’s take a close look at the most outdated health practices and their consequences. Please be sure to always consult with a licensed health professional before making any decisions about your health. 

Handwashing Monitoring

First, even during the time of COVID, the practice of watching employees wash their hands is outdated. This used to be commonplace many years ago when employers were concerned that people weren’t using good habits. They wanted to make sure that hands were clean and no shortcuts were taken. However, this practice has actually been shown to be counterproductive. When people are under the pressure of someone looking over their shoulders, they employ strange techniques to wash their hands. At the very least, the duration that is reported is misrepresentative of the average duration. By now, managers should trust that employees are washing their hands in a careful manner.

Unlabeled Prescriptions

In the past, prescriptions have been unlabeled in order to prevent users from knowing the exact ingredients. Manufacturers were worried that people might misuse the products for addictive purposes. However, studies have shown that this really isn’t the case. While misuse can certainly happen, the vast majority of people benefit from knowing the prescription’s contents. They can look substances up online for more info about dosages and the correct use. When they have questions about a certain prescription, they can simply read the label off to a help desk that can provide decisive answers. If prescriptions continue to go unlabeled, people might be misinformed and cause even more harm than usual. In addition to the contents of the prescription, other info such as the expiration date and pharmacy location weren’t always clearly legible. Fortunately, the field of medicine has been headed in the right direction in the past few decades, and new standards for all prescription medications have been widely accepted and in use.

Circumcision

Circumcision is the practice on this list that is still the most commonplace today. Although the majority of babies are still circumcised, recent research has shown that this trend should shift in the other direction. Circumcision was once performed for aesthetics and that it supposedly prevented certain forms of cancer. Today, the cancer myth has certainly been debunked. In addition, research suggests that circumcision can actually lead to other diseases and sicknesses in babies. While the rate of infection is quite low, it still does more harm than good. Because there can be serious consequences, nearly every medical association today does not advocate for circumcision. Clearly, circumcision facts and myths are controversial issues with many proponents of both sides. However, when taken a look at from a scientific standpoint, the evidence in favor of no circumcision. In recent years, numbers have slowly declined, which shows that people are taking note of these developments.

Obscured Medical Records

Finally, obscured medical records were once the norm in hospitals. This resulted from the assumption that patients would not care about the records, and staff members didn’t really have a use for them in the first place. No matter what the records showed, doctors would have to perform a full checkup anyway. However, technology has advanced well past this state. Now, medical records really do provide valuable info about a newly admitted patient. They can tell doctors what medications to prescribe or what existing conditions to look out for. If medical records are incomplete or illegible, the patient is at a severe disadvantage. He or she won’t be able to receive custom treatment, and physicians will only be able to work with a blank slate. In today’s society, hospitals encourage transparency between everyone involved. Doctors and patients alike are thankful that we’ve moved on from this silly practice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these are some of the most outdated health practices and their consequences. In future years, look for hospitals to abolish some of these practices and pave the way for the future. Overall, it will be beneficial for both the clinical staff and patients involved.