Effect of Hand Cleansing with Antimicrobial Soap or Alcohol-Based Gel on Microbial Colonization
This study was undertaken to determine differences in microflora on the nails of health care workers (HCWs) wearing artificial nails compared with control HCWs with native nails and to assess the effect on these microflora of hand cleansing el temizleme kremi ovmax
with antimicrobial soap or alcohol-based gel. Cultures were obtained from 21 HCWs wearing artificial nails and 20 control HCWs before and after using antimicrobial soap or alcohol-based gel. Before cleansing with soap, 86% of HCWs with artificial nails had a pathogen (gram-negative bacilli, Staphylococcus aureus, or yeasts) isolated, compared with 35% of controls (P = .003); a similar difference was noted before hand cleansing with gel (68% vs. 28%; P = .03). Significantly more HCWs with artificial nails than controls had pathogens remaining after hand cleansing with soap or gel. Of HCWs with artificial nails, only 11% cleared pathogens with soap compared with 38% with gel. Of control HCWs, only 14% cleared with soap compared Hand cleansing remains the most effective and least expensive measure to prevent transmission of nosocomial However, after even thorough hand cleansing, the fingernails, especially the subungual region, harbor a greater number of microorganisms than other areas of the area is often neglected during routine hand
The use of artificial acrylic fingernails has become popular in the past several years. It is estimated that over $265 million is spent every year on acrylic nails and related products and their application in the United States. Artificial nails are frequently worn by health care workers (HCWs), even though they are officially banned by the Association of Operating Room Nurses A previous study from our laboratory found significantly increased numbers of potentially pathogenic th native The current study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of antimicrobial soap and alcohol-based gel hand cleansing on colonization of natural and artificial fingernails. Alcohol formulation