A prospective multicenter study evaluating skin tolerance to standard hand hygiene techniques

Publié le 11 février 2011 • Catégorie(s) : En français, Risques chimiques • Mot(s) clef(s) : dermatoses

Auteur    Emmanuel Chamorey
Auteur    Pierre-Yves Marcy
Auteur    Marc Dandine
Auteur    Patricia Veyres
Auteur    Nadine Negrin
Auteur    Frederic Vandenbos
Auteur    Marie-Josée Duval
Auteur    Sylvain Lambert
Auteur    Laëtitia Mazzoni
Auteur    Viviane Chapuis
Auteur    Isaac Bodokh
Auteur    Paul Sacleux
Résumé    We performed a prospective multicenter study to assess the dryness and irritation of the hands in health care facilities, and to evaluate whether that disinfection with an alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) is better tolerated than classic handwashing with mild soap and water. Our study was conducted in 9 sites in the summer and winter. A team of investigators evaluated dryness and irritation. This study takes into account most of the individual and environmental risk factors (age, sex, use of a protective agent, constitutional factors, personal factors, external factors, institution, function, and number of consecutive working days). The results from the 1932 assessments collected show that traditional handwashing is a risk factor for dryness and irritation, whereas the use of ABHR causes no skin deterioration and might have a protective effect, particularly in intensive use. These results provide a strong argument to counter the rear-guard resistance to the use of ABHRs.
Publication    American Journal of Infection Control
Date    Jul 20, 2010