Effectiveness Hand Washing and Hand Rub Method in Reducing Total Bacteria Colony from Nurses in Medan

Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is a major problem for the patient's health care and may impact the duration of treatment. Hand hygiene is a simple procedure but giving good prevention usually done among nurses at the hospital.

Objective of the study is to determine the effectivity of handwashing method compared to hand rub to eliminate microorganisms on nurse's hands at Sumatera Utara University Hospital. This is an experimental analytic study using random sampling technique.

There were 16 nurses enrolled in this study. There were 2 groups involved; the first group using handwashing with soap and the other one using hand rub. The swabs were taken from each hand from both groups before and after washing their hands. Moreover, the swabs directly sent to Microbiology Laboratory of Sumatera Utara University to identify bacteria which colonise the hand.

There were no significant differences between using handwashing method compared to hand rub in reducing total bacterial colony on hands (p = 0.088). The average of total colony decreased by using handwashing method is 59.5%, and by using a hand, rub is 47.2%.

Hand hygiene method using alcohol-based hand rub liquid has been recommended by WHO and can replace hand washing method in a particular situation.