Alcohol handrubs v soap

doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7379.50/a

BMJ 2003;326:50 ( 4 January )

Letters

Alcohol handrubs v soap

Finnish experience shows that alcohol rubs are good for hands

Alcohol handrub removes methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Finnish experience shows that alcohol rubs are good for hands

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EDITOR $---$ Girou et al compared the use of alcohol based handrubs with standard handwashing.¹ Such handrubs have been usedin Finland since the 1980s, and handrubbing is the preferred choicefor hand hygiene in healthcare.

Healthcare workers have accepted the method, and complaints of dry skin are fewer than with using other hand hygiene products. ² ³ Alcoholic preparations must of course contain skin emollientssuch as 1-2% glycerol to prevent drying of theskin.

Juhani Ojajarvi, senior medical officer.
National Agency for Medicines, Medical Devices Centre, PO Box 55, F-00301 Helsinki, Finland juhani.ojajarvi@nam.fi

1.	Girou E, Loyeau S, Legrand P, Oppein F, Brun-Boisson C. Efficacy of handrubbing with alcohol based solution versus standard handwashing with antiseptic soap: randomised clinical trial. BMJ 2002; 325: 362[Abstract/Free Full Text]. (17 August.)
2.	Ojajärvi J, Mäkelä P, Rantasalo I. Failure of hand disinfection with frequent hand washing: a need for profield studies. J Hyg 1977; 79: 107-119.
3.	Ojajärvi J. Handwashing in Finland. J Hosp Infect 1991; 18(suppl B): 35-40[Medline].

Alcohol handrub removes methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

EDITOR $---$ Girou et al showed that handrubbing with an alcohol based solution is significantly more efficient than handwashingwith antiseptic soap in reducing hand contamination during routinepatient care.¹ We conducted a similar study of the efficacyof an alcohol handrub (70% ethanol, carbomer, isopropyl myristate,glycerine, monopropylene glycol, vitamin E, and demineralisedwater; Guest Medical, Kent, UK) in eliminating methicillin resistantStaphylococcus aureus from the fingertips of hospital staff atwork.

The study . . . [Full text of this article]

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Efficacy of handrubbing with alcohol based solution versus standard handwashing with antiseptic soap: randomised clinical trial: Emmanuelle Girou, Sabrina Loyeau, Patrick Legrand, Françoise Oppein, and Christian Brun-Buisson
BMJ 2002 325: 362. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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