Irritant Contact Dermatitis on Hands

Hand hygiene (HH) is the single most important procedure health care workers (HCWs) can follow to reduce the risk of spreading health care-associated infections, yet compliance with this simple task remains at less than 50%. One of the reasons often cited for noncompliance is irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) resulting from repeated exposure to HH products and procedure. This literature review used the World Health Organization's components of empowerment as a guideline for the search and development of a clinical model to address HCW HH and ICD.