Infection Prevention: Hand Hygiene: Methods
The two major hand hygiene methods are alcohol-based hand rubs and soap and water.
Advantages of Alcohol-Based Hand Rubs:
- Faster and easily accessible: The time required to perform adequate hand hygiene is less than with soap and water. Alcohol-based systems can also be carried in a person's pocket, making them more accessible.
- Less hand irritation: Alcohol-based hand rubs are less irritating to the hands of users, compared to repeated use of soap and water.
- Better bacterial killing: Studies have shown increased killing rates of various bacteria with alcohol-based systems compared to soap and water
- Less risk of hand re-contamination: Using a sink and faucet for hand hygiene can result in hand recontamination if there is splatter of water. In addition, sinks that require use of hands to turn off faucets can result in direct recontamination of hands after completion of handwashing.
- Increased usage: Several studies have reported increased rates of hand hygiene compliance after introduction of alcohol-based systems.
Advantages of Soap and Water:
- Better at removal of debris: Soap and water is the preferred hand hygiene method when hands are visibly soiled.
- Removal of Clostridium difficile spores: Alcohol-based systems are less effective in killing or removing spores of Clostridium difficile compared to soap and water. When caring for patients with Clostridium difficile infection, soap and water may be the preferred hand hygiene method.
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