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Updated: Dec 12, 2025
A Method to Test the Efficacy of Handwashing for the Removal of Emerging Infectious Pathogens
Published on: June 7, 2017
Relationship between hand hygiene and cutaneous findings during COVID-19 pandemic
Sibel Altunisik Toplu1, Nihal Altunisik2, Dursun Turkmen2
1Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey.
Background:
In the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) have to comply with hygiene conditions and use gloves more frequently and for a longer period of time than they would previously to avoid infection and prevent transmission.
Aims:
We aimed to characterize the adverse skin reactions occurring after hand hygiene and glove use in HCWs in a tertiary university hospital to determine the possible causative factors and whether the use of these measures is affected.
Methods:
Between April 15 and May 1, 2020, a cross-sectional survey was conducted, using online questionnaire, answered by HCWs in a tertiary university hospital.
Results:
The increase in general hand-skin problems during the pandemic period was statistically significant (P = .004). The most common symptom was dryness. During the pandemic period, 67 (24.3%) HCWs thought that the conditions were caused by glove use, and 197 (71.4%) thought that they were due to alcohol-based hand antiseptics. The incidence of other hand-skin conditions except for vesicles was statistically higher in women than in men (P < .001).
Conclusions:
Increased number of hand-skin conditions during the pandemic should not be ignored, since hand hygiene and glove use are expected to increase.
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