OMAHA, Neb. — Doctors and nurses on the go often skip soap and water in favor of an alcohol-based hand gel, thinking the quick-acting goo will kill bacteria on their hands and curb the spread of infection.
It turns out that’s not enough.
In a Nebraska hospital, medical workers nearly doubled their use of the alcohol-based gel, but their generally cleaner hands had no bearing on the rate of infections among patients.
Dr. Mark Rupp, an infectious disease specialist who studied the problem, pointed to many villains: Rings and fingernails that are too long and hard to clean, and poor handling of catheters and treatment areas that aren’t sanitized.
The study results appear to contradict hospital guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say frequent washing or use of hand gels has been shown to cut the spread of hospital infections.
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