Major ArticleSkin reactions related to hand hygiene and selection of hand hygiene products
Section snippets
Skin reactions related to hand hygiene
There are 2 major types of skin reactions associated with hand hygiene. The first and most common is irritant contact dermatitis with symptoms that include dryness, irritation, itching, cracking, and bleeding. The second, allergic contact dermatitis, is rare and results from an allergy to an ingredient in the hand hygiene product. Symptoms of allergic contact dermatitis can be mild and localized or severe and generalized. In the most serious form, there may be respiratory distress and other
Methods to reduce adverse effects of agents
There are 3 primary strategies for minimizing hand hygiene-related irritant contact dermatitis among health care personnel: selection of less irritating hand hygiene products; education regarding proper skin care management, and routine use of moisturizing skin care products.
Factors to consider when selecting hand hygiene products
The selection of hand hygiene agents requires a multidisciplinary team effort (eg, infection control professionals, both clinical and administrative staff, pharmacists, behavioral scientists) to evaluate factors related to handcleansing agents and to conduct clinical pilot projects to test these factors.20, 54, 76, 77, 78, 79 Therefore, pilot studies to help select products at the local level should mainly address user acceptability issues. Other aspects such as tolerance, availability,
Summary and recommendations
Because of the necessity for frequent hand hygiene during patient care, health care professionals have a higher prevalence of skin irritation than seen in the general population. Damaged, irritated skin is undesirable, not only because it causes discomfort and even lost workdays for the professional but also because hands with damaged skin may in fact increase the risk of transmission of infections to patients. Ways to minimize the possible adverse effects of hand hygiene include selecting less
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2022, The Sepsis CodexIdentifying drivers for user preference and acceptability of different hydro-alcoholic hand rub formulations
2021, Journal of Hospital InfectionCitation Excerpt :As can be identified from the above, increasing compliance with hand hygiene policies requires a multimodal approach [6]. Hand sanitation by means of alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHRs) is considered the most effective approach [12,13] and does improve compliance compared with hand washing with soap and water as they are generally more easily accessible, take less time to use and have higher skin tolerability [14]. Yet, apart from the factors affecting compliance cited above, the type of ABHR product or its formulation that is made available to healthcare personnel potentially has an impact on their acceptability of use.
Hand hygiene in health care: 20 years of ongoing advances and perspectives
2021, The Lancet Infectious DiseasesCitation Excerpt :Although reusing gloves has been strictly discouraged in health-care settings and there is currently no standardised glove reprocessing method, the increased rate of reuse is alarming, especially in resource-limited settings or during health crises.24,53,54 It is well documented that health-care workers have a higher incidence of irritant contact dermatitis than the general population due to frequent hand hygiene practices.55 Using alcohol-based hand rub has been shown to be much less damaging to skin than handwashing with soap and water.56,57
The duality of nurses’ work: How can the profession that saves the most lives in the world avoid spreading disease?
2020, International Journal of Nursing StudiesEffects of hand disinfection with alcohol hand rub, ozonized water, or soap and water: time for reconsideration?
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On behalf of the World Health Organization Global Patient Safety Challenge (Lead, Professor D. Pittet, World Alliance for Patient Safety, WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland).