The Comparison between Two Ways for Hands Decontamination of Hospital Personnel: with Water and Soap or Alcohol

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 1- Assistant Professor of Infectious disease, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran

2 Assistant Professor of Endocrine, Endocrine Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3 Assistant Professorof Internal, Bojnourd University of Medical Sciences, Bojnourd, Iran

4 Assistant Professor of microbiology, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
One of the most important ways of infectious transmission is the personnel’s contaminated hands .In orther to compare water and soap with alcohol in eradication of staff hands’ pathogens, this study was carried out on 100 personnesl in Imamreza hospital.
Materials and Methods
In this study we took samples from 100 personnel's palms in different wards of hospital while doing their nursing activites.Washing hands with water and soap or 70٪alcohol was performed by them for 20 seconds with the manager observation, then the sampling was repeated and transfored to bloody agar culture unit.
Results
Washing hands with soap or alcohol decreased the pathogens of the personnel hands. (p<0/001). Alcohol was more effective (76.9%) than water and soap with (23.1%) (p<0/002). The most common pathogens were: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Kllebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli. The most contaminated department was ICU ward (100%).
Conclusion
Hand washing before and after contact with patients is an easy way to control hospital infections and if done with alcohol is more effective than with water and soap in eradicating staff hands’ microorganisms.

Keywords

medical journal of mashhad university of medical sciences
Volume 56, Issue 3 - Serial Number 3
July and August 2013
Pages 159-164

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