LESSONS IN HAND WASHING: INFLUENCE OF OCCUPATION, HABIT AND SANITATION ON THE TYPE AND BURDEN OF HAND MICROFLORA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v9.i6.2021.3976Keywords:
Hand Hygiene, Sanitizer, Occupation, Habit, Microbial Load, MicroorganismsAbstract [English]
The hand is an important vehicle in disease transmission both in the healthcare setting and in communities. This study accessed the level of compliance to hand hygiene requirements among different professionals within and outside the hospital setting.in addition to the role of good hand hygiene practice in reducing the microbial population of hands. Structured questionnaire to access compliance by the various study group was analyzed statistically. Swabs of hands and contact surfaces were collected before and after different treatment application ranging from washing with soap, use of or a combination of treatment and assessed . Knowledge of the importance of hand hygiene did not translate to better hand hygiene practice among health workers compared to groups outside the health profession. There was a higher preference for water for anal cleansing after defecation as opposed to the use of tissue paper by male than female (p<0.05). The bacterial load in unwashed hands ranged from 106 CFU/ml for Proteus and Streptococcus species to 1010 CFU/ml for and Staphylococcus species. Hand washing without application of resulted in 1-2 log10 CFU reduction depending on bacterial species (p>0.05). Application of to unwashed hands resulted in 2-7 log10 CFU reduction for most bacterial species (p<0.05). Hands were re-colonized with same flora within one week of decolonizing. The multiple factors associated with re-colonization of decolonized hands pose the question as to how frequent should hands be washed?
Downloads
References
Ayliffe, G.A.J., Babb, J.R., Davies, J.G. & Lilly, H.A. (1988). Hand disinfection: a comparison of various agents in laboratory and ward studies. Journal of Hospital Infection 11(3), 226–243. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0195-6701(88)90101-6 10.1016/0195-6701(88)90101-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0195-6701(88)90101-6
Babeluk, R., Jutz, S., Mertlitz, S., Matiasek, J. & Klaus, C. (2014). Hand Hygiene – Evaluation of Three Disinfectant Hand Sanitizers in a Community Setting. PLoS ONE 9(11), e111969. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111969 10.1371/journal.pone.0111969 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111969
British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (2008). Combating Malnutrition: Recommendations for Action. Report from the Advisory Group on Malnutrition.
Currie, L., Lecko, C., Gallagher, R. & Sunley, K. (2011). Safety: Principle of Nursing Practice C. Nursing Standard. 25, 35–37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7748/ns2011.03.25.30.35.c8423
Curtis, V. & Cairncross, S. (2003). Effect of washing hands with soap on diarrhoea risk in the community: a systematic review. The Lancet Infectious Diseases 3(5), 275–281. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1473-3099(03)00606-6 10.1016/s1473-3099(03)00606-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(03)00606-6
Department, & Health, (2009). The Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice for Health and Adult Social Care on the Prevention and Control of Infections and Related Guidance. .
(2014). Essential Practice for Infection Prevention and Control: Guidance for Nursing Staff. Royal College of Nursing .
Francesconi, P., Yoti, Z., Declich, S., Onek, P. A., Fabiani, M., Olango, J., Andraghetti, R., Rollin, P. E., Opira, C., Greco, D. & Salmaso, S. (2003). Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Transmission and Risk Factors of Contacts, Uganda1. Emerging Infectious Diseases 9(11), 1430–1437. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid0911.030339 10.3201/eid0911.030339 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0911.030339
(2011). Guidance on the Management of Waste arising from Health, Social and Personal Care. London: RCN. Publication
Judah, G., Aunger, R., Schmidt, W.-P., Michie, S., Granger, S. & Curtis, V. (2009). Experimental Pretesting of Hand-Washing Interventions in a Natural Setting. American Journal of Public Health 99(S2), S405–S411. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2009.164160 10.2105/ajph.2009.164160 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.164160
Knittle, M. A., Eitzman, D. V. & Baer, H. (1975). Role of hand contamination of personnel in the epidemiology of gram-negative nosocomial infections. The Journal of Pediatrics 86(3), 433–437. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0022-3476(75)80980-2 10.1016/s0022-3476(75)80980-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3476(75)80980-2
Lauharanta, J., Ojajärvi, J., Sarna, S. & Mäkelä, P. (1991). Prevention of dryness and eczema of the hands of hospital staff by emulsion cleansing instead of washing with soap. Journal of Hospital Infection 17(3), 207–215. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0195-6701(91)90232-w 10.1016/0195-6701(91)90232-w DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0195-6701(91)90232-W
NPSA, (2008). National Patient Safety Agency. Clean Hands Save Lives: Patient Safety Alert, London. . Retrieved from www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources
(2008). Nutrition Screening Survey in the UK in 2007: A Report by BAPEN. Nutrition Screen Survey and Audit of Adults on Admission to Hospital, Care Homes and Mental Health Units. .
Pittet, D., Dharan, S., Touveneau, S., Sauvan, V. & Perneger, T. V. (1999). Bacterial Contamination of the Hands of Hospital Staff During Routine Patient Care. Archives of Internal Medicine 159(8), 821. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.159.8.821 10.1001/archinte.159.8.821 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.159.8.821
Pratt, R.J., Pellowe, C.M., Wilson, J.A., Loveday, H.P., Harper, P.J., Jones, S.R.L.J., McDougall, C. & Wilcox, M.H. (2007). epic2: National Evidence-Based Guidelines for Preventing Healthcare-Associated Infections in NHS Hospitals in England. Journal of Hospital Infection 65, S1–S59. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0195-6701(07)60002-4 10.1016/s0195-6701(07)60002-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0195-6701(07)60002-4
(2011). Report on the Burden of Endemic Healthcare-associated Infection Worldwide: Clean Care is Healthy Care. .
(2009). Royal College of Nursing. Infection Prevention and Control Minimum Standards, London: RCN. Publication code: 002 725. .
Strausbaugh, L. J., Sewell, D. L., Ward, T. T., Pfaller, M. A., Heitzman, T. & Tjoelker, R. (1994). High frequency of yeast carriage on hands of hospital personnel. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 32(9), 2299–2300. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jcm.32.9.2299-2300.1994 10.1128/jcm.32.9.2299-2300.1994 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.32.9.2299-2300.1994
Tambekar, D. H., Shirsat, S. D., Suradkar, S. B., Rajankar, P. N. & Banginwar, Y. S. (2007). Prevention of Transmission of Infectious Disease: Studies on Hand Hygiene in Health-care Among Students. Continental Journal Biomedical Sciences 1, 6–10.
(2005). The Cost of Disease Related Malnutrition in the UK and Economic Considerations for the use of Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) in Adults. .
Winnefeld, M., Richard, M.A., Drancourt, M. & Grob, J.J. (2000). Skin tolerance and effectiveness of two hand decontamination procedures in everyday hospital use. British Journal of Dermatology 143(3), 546–550. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2000.03708.x 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2000.03708.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2000.03708.x
(1976). World Health Organization. Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever in Sudan. Bulletin of World Health Organization 56, 247–270.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Egwari Louis Osayenum, Akinnola Olayemi Oluseun, Effiok William Warrie, Kilani Adetunji Musbau, Uzowuihe Xavier Chukwuma, Adegbayi Tolu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
