Hand Hygiene in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: A Comparison of Two Techniques

♦ Introduction and Objectives: Hand hygiene is essential for preventing peritoneal dialysis (PD)–related infections. The present study compared the effectiveness of two hygiene techniques in reducing the number of colony-forming units (CFUs) on the hands of patients undergoing PD. ♦ Methods: In this controlled clinical trial, 22 participants enrolled in the same PD program underwent a two-hand evaluation for microbiologic flora. Participants participated in two treatments: a) simple hand hygiene plus antiseptic hand hygiene, in which the patients washed their hands with water and glycerin soap for 1 minute and then rubbed and dried their hands with 70% ethyl alcohol gel; and b) antiseptic hand hygiene, in which the patients rubbed their hands with 70% ethyl alcohol gel until fully dry. To sample distal finger surfaces, we asked the participants to touch sheep blood agar plates directly. ♦ Results: The CFU count for both hands was significantly higher in the regular hygiene group than in the gel-only group [69.0 (16.0 – 101.0) CFU vs 9.0 (2.2 – 55.5) CFU, p < 0.010]. Growth of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus colonies was significantly higher in right-hand cultures from the regular hygiene group than in those from the gelonly group [69.5 (26.25 – 101.0) CFU vs 9.5 (1.0 – 41.7) CFU; p < 0.050]. ♦ Conclusions: Among patients undergoing PD, using 70% ethyl alcohol gel to cleanse the hands may be more effective than following the regular hygiene recommendations in reducing bacterial populations.