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argue that alcohol-based hand rubs could be causing more harm than good.
"Before we switched rubs, there were too many complaints and not enough hand hygiene," says Patricia Walat, RN, BS, nurse manager and compliance officer at Sound Eye and Laser in Seattle, Wash. "We switched and now everyone is happy."
Is it too much to ask for a rub that dries quickly but doesn't dry out your skin as well? That got us wondering: What would the perfect waterless, brushless surgical scrub be like? We surveyed 50 facility leaders to find out. Here are the 10 attributes they cited the most:
• high, sustained bacteria kill
• disperses over the skin easily
• no sticky or slimy feeling
• fast-drying
• moisturizing
• calibrated dispensing for exact amount
• a timer to assure you achieve full, appropriate rub time
• gloves won't stick to hands after application
• does not damage or irritate the skin
• very little scent during and after the rub (a few respondents wouldn't mind a mild, pleasant smell)
Speaking of smell, keep in mind that hand rubs are like fragrances. Just as not all perfume smells the same on every individual who wears that scent, the hand rub that feels and smells great on you will make another nurse's skin crack and smell like gasoline. The perfect rub for you might literally rub someone else the wrong way.
A much larger reader survey of 171 facility leaders we conducted a few years back drilled down deeper into the biggest challenges to
