One plunge or two? - Hand disinfection with alcohol gel

Abstract

Objective. To compare health care workers' hand surface coverage using two different volumes of alcohol gel for hand disinfection. Participants and methods. A total of 84 members of staff in our hospital were studied. Subjects were asked to disinfect their hands with alcohol gel containing a clear fluorescent substance. Performance was assessed by using UV light to identify areas which had been missed, and the total surface area missed was calculated. A total of 42 subjects received 3.5 ml of alcohol gel, and 42 age-, sex-, and job-matched subjects received 1.75 ml of alcohol gel. Results. Significantly less area was missed when hand disinfecting with double the volume of alcohol gel; 1.23 versus 6.35% surface area was missed (P < 0.001). Conclusion. Doubling the volume of alcohol gel used for hand disinfection significantly improves the efficiency of coverage of the hands with alcohol gel. This may result in lower bacterial count on the hands and may reduce the spread of nosocomial infections including that of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. © 2006 Oxford University Press.