I’m an advocate for asking questions.

Where was that fresh produce grown? What temperature is medium-rare? Did the cook wash his hands after going to the bathroom?

I also recognize that most people — including me — feel socially awkward asking such questions.

So, would you ask your doctor if he has washed his hands?

That’s what Carmela Fragomeni of The Hamilton Spectator in Canada asked this morning.

Hamilton resident Maria Pimentel says,

"I’m not comfortable to ask him because maybe he’d get upset."

Linda VanRysell believes doctors would always automatically be washing their hands before examining a patient, stating,

"I assume they’re professional."

Dr. David Higgins, chief of staff at St. Joe’s in Hamilton, said if he were to fail to wash his hands, he hopes patients would called him on it, adding,

"I should thank the person for doing it. That’s the ideal culture."