International Journal of Contemporary Medicine
  • Year: 2017
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue: 2

To Compare Conventional Hand Wash with Alcoholic Hand Rub among Health-Care Workers and Doctors in Neuro Trauma ICU Setup: An Observational Study

  • Author:
  • Neeraj Kumar1, Sujit Bharti2, Yashpal Singh3, Abdul Alim Khan4, Manish Kumar5,
  • Total Page Count: 5
  • Page Number: 93 to 97

1Senior Resident, Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, AIIMS, Patna

2Senior Resident, Department of Microbiology, Trauma Center, BHU, Varanasi

3Assistant Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Trauma Centre, BHU, Varanasi

4Senior Resident, Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Trauma Centre, BHU, Varanasi

5Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, IGIMS, Patna

*Corresponding Author: Dr. Manish Kumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sheikhpura, Patna-800014, Bihar. Mobile: 09304093698. Email: manu072@gmail.com

Online published on 18 January, 2018.

Abstract

Nosocomial infection rate is often higher for intensive care unit (ICU) than other units of hospitals, and hands of health-care workers (HCWs) as well as on resident duty doctors play a major role in the transmission of the infections. Aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of conventional hand wash with the hand rub in reducing the transient bacterial flora on the hands of nurses and posted doctors in a neuro trauma ICU.

The 42 nurses and 8 resident duty doctors posted in our ICU during June-August 2016 were included in this observational study. A total of 300 samples were collected for the residual bacterial flora on fingers using impression method on MacConkey agar plates. The subjects then used alcoholic hand rub or conventional hand wash and the residual bacterial flora rechecked by testing impression of fingers on MacConkey agar.

Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., non-lactose fermenting Gram-negative bacilli, staphylococci, and streptococci formed the transient bacterial flora on the hands. Moderate to heavy bacterial density was seen in more than 92.2% of the hands before washing or hand rub application. Conventional hand wash resulted in drastic reduction in the transient bacterial flora on hands in 50% cases whereas alcoholic hand rub achieved the effect in 95% of the samples.

Compared with conventional hand wash, alcoholic hand rub is far more efficient in reducing transient bacterial flora on the hands of HCWs and in resident duty doctors it is more convenient and time saving. It is recommended as a hand hygiene practice in critical areas especially in neuro trauma ICU because most of the patients are tracheostomised and it acts as strong barrier.

Keywords

ICU, Hand Wash, Alcoholic Hand Rub