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H A N D
H Y G I E N E
scrub,8 a result similar to that noted by Parienti and colleagues.6
Skin irritation has been most commonly reported in conjunction with the use of iodophors, although chlorhexidine and other antiseptic agents have also been implicated.1 Studies comparing hand rubs point out that alcohol-based products containing emollients, which offer skin conditioning with their disinfection, are better tolerated than other antiseptic agents or ordinary hand soaps.1
3. Acceptability
An evaluation of the qualities of hand hygiene methods and products isn't strictly empirical, of course. Your staff's preferences must also be considered. After all, they're the front-line users who'll be working with them several times daily. In many studies, staff have shown preferences based on a hand hygiene product's consistency, fragrance and dispensing system.
A product's acceptability is a critical issue here. Healthcare workers ranked the freedom to choose the institution's hand hygiene product as the second most important feature of a hand hygiene campaign.1 What's more, the use of inferior products can be a serious deterrent to a staff's hand hygiene compliance.
Larson found that study participants preferred waterless hand rubs to the traditional scrub process, explaining that using rubs was faster and easier than scrubbing, that donning gloves afterwards was easier and that the regular use of alcohol-based rubs proved milder on their skin.8
4. Cost
As with any evaluation of supplies, cost must be considered when comparing alcohol-based hand rubs and traditional brush scrubs. Not surprisingly, studies have favored the alcohol rubs on this front as well.
Taking into account the average length of a scrub or application, including the time it took for the hands to dry, as well as the average cost of a staff member's OR minute, Larson calculated that the total cost of each method per application
