Hand hygiene and skin health

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Medical hand hygiene is crucial but causes significant skin problems for healthcare workers.
• Detergent cleansers and alcohol antisepsis remove protective skin lipids and moisture.
• Glove use leads to stratum corneum overhydration, increasing susceptibility to irritants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the primary causes of hand problems in medical professionals.
• To evaluate the impact of different hand hygiene agents on skin health.
• To propose alternative approaches to hand hygiene that preserve skin integrity.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of factors contributing to skin damage during hand hygiene.
• Review of epidemiological data on hand problems in healthcare settings.
• Comparison of detergent-based cleansers versus non-detergent emulsion cleansers.

Main Results:

• Synthetic detergents in liquid cleansers are major contributors to skin damage.
• Loss of natural antibacterials on the skin increases microbial growth.
• Non-detergent emulsion cleansers effectively reduce hand problems in hospital staff.

Conclusions:

• Current hand hygiene protocols, while protecting patients, compromise healthcare provider skin health.
• Replacing detergents with non-detergent cleansers can mitigate hand problems.
• Supporting the skin's natural defenses is a more sustainable approach to infection control.