Question

WHAT IS THE SKIN IMPACT OF ALCOHOL-BASED HAND RUBS VS HANDWASHING.

Answer 1

Ans)SKIN IMPACT OF ALCOHOL-BASED HAND RUBS (ABHR's) VS HANDWASHING:

- Alcohol has been used as an antiseptic for centuries and was first recommended as a skin antiseptic in the early 1900s.

- Despite the studies demonstrating the efficacy of alcohol, handwashing with soap and water remained the predominant instrument of hand hygiene in the United States until the 21st century.

- Due to a large body of evidence demonstrating the advantages of ABHRs, in 2002 the CDC changed its hand hygiene guidelines to recommend ABHRs for routine hand antisepsis when hands are not visibly soiled.
- Despite the widespread implementation of ABHRs in healthcare facilities, misconceptions persist regarding the negative effect of ABHRs on skin conditioning and health.

- These concerns have been repeatedly disproven through an overwhelming amount of scientific data.

- In fact, handwashing has been shown to be more damaging to skin condition than ABHRs.

- Reducing HAIs through hand hygiene requires
compliance at critical moments during patient care.

- Studies have estimated seven to 60 hand hygiene moments per hour; due to their skin tolerability, ABHRs are the best hand hygiene
solution for these high-frequency settings.