NEBRASKA: Hand gels alone may not curb infections - (N.Y. Times/AP)
January 30, 2008 – 6:01 pmOMAHA, Neb. — Doctors and nurses on the go often skip soap and water in favor of an alcohol-based hand gel, thinking the quick-acting goo will kill bacteria on their hands and curb the spread of infection. It turns out that’s not enough.
In a Nebraska hospital, medical workers, according to this story, nearly doubled their use of the alcohol-based gel, but their generally cleaner hands had no bearing on the rate of infections among patients.
The doctor who studied the problem pointed to many villains: Rings and fingernails that are too long and hard to clean, poor handling of catheters and treatment areas that aren’t sanitized.
Dr. Mark Rupp, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, was quoted as saying, “Hand hygiene is still important, but it’s not a panacea,”
The results of his study appear to contradict hospital guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that […]
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