Emojis in public health and how they might be used for hand hygiene and infection prevention and control, Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control

Emojis are frequently used picture characters known as possible surrogates for non-verbal aspects of behavior. Considering the ability of emojis to enhance and facilitate communication, there has been a growing interest in studying their effects in scientific and health-related topics over the past few years. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a field of medicine that is directly associated with specific behaviors. These include hand hygiene, which is the cornerstone of the prevention of healthcare-associated infections, and essential in stemming the spread of antimicrobial resistance. This paper aims to provide an overview of how emojis have been used in the medical and public health literature and proposes their possible use in IPC and hand hygiene to put forth a vision for the future research.

On Health Hand Hygiene: Emojis and Infection Prevention and Control

Cureus, Targeted Infection Control Practices in Japanese Hospitals for Multidrug-Resistant Organisms: Guidance From the Public Health Center

Reducing antibiotic prescribing and addressing the global problem of antibiotic resistance by targeted hygiene in the home and everyday life settings: A position paper - American Journal of Infection Control

PDF] Other ways of communicating the pandemic - memes and stickers against COVID-19: a systematic review

Infection prevention

Antimicrobial Resistance Fighter Coalition

Enhancing the Awareness of e-Mental Health Messages: The Effects of Narrative, Emoji, and Relevance

Antimicrobial Resistance - National Centre for Infectious Diseases

Handwashing isn't just for COVID - it could also tackle antibiotic resistance

Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control 1/2020

On Health Hand Hygiene: Emojis and Infection Prevention and Control