[The efficacy of three hand asepsis techniques using chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG 2%)]

Area of Science:

• Infection Control
• Microbiology
• Surgical Hygiene

Background:

• Pre-operative hand disinfection is crucial for preventing surgical site infections.
• The use of brushes and sponges in pre-operative disinfection has been questioned due to potential skin injury.
• Antiseptic agents, particularly chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG), are widely used.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of pre-operative hand asepsis without brushes or sponges.
• To compare three methods: hand-scrubbing with brush (HSB), hand-scrubbing with sponge (HSS), and hand-rubbing with antiseptic agent (HRA) using 2% CHG.
• To provide evidence for brush-free and sponge-free pre-operative disinfection protocols.

Main Methods:

• A comparative crossover study involving 29 healthcare providers.
• Evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy using the glove-juice method.
• Comparison of colony-forming units before and after three distinct hand asepsis techniques.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in antimicrobial efficacy were observed between hand-rubbing with antiseptic agent (HRA), hand-scrubbing with brush (HSB), and hand-scrubbing with sponge (HSS).
• Statistical analysis (p=0.148) indicated comparable reduction in microbial load across all tested methods.
• The results support the potential to eliminate brushes and sponges in pre-operative hand asepsis.

Conclusions:

• Hand-rubbing with 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) is as effective as traditional scrubbing methods for pre-operative hand asepsis.
• The findings suggest that brushes and sponges may not be necessary for effective pre-operative disinfection.
• This study supports the adoption of simpler, potentially less injurious, hand asepsis techniques in healthcare settings.