Vol. VII, No. 11Archive > November, 2006

Rubbed the Wrong Way

Avoid common misuses of alcohol-based hand rubs to improve your hand hygiene protocol.

Daniel Cook, Managing Editor

How hard can it be to wash your hands properly when you're using brush-free scrubs? Squirt. Rub. Let dry. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty, as it turns out. Researchers have found that while waterless, alcohol-based hand rub agents are widely used in the perioperative setting, they're not always being used properly. And that, in turn, can nullify their infection-fighting efficacy.

 
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