Dm. Salisbury et al., THE EFFECT OF RINGS ON MICROBIAL LOAD OF HEALTH-CARE WORKERS HANDS, American journal of infection control, 25(1), 1997, pp. 24-27
Background: The hands of health care workers (HCWs) serve as a major r
oute for transmission of nosocomial infection. Although handwashing is
known to reduce cross-transmission of infection, the influence of rin
gs on the efficacy of handwashing and the carriage of bacteria on the
hands has not been well established. Methods: In this study, 50 HCWs w
ith rings were paired by unit with 50 HCWs without rings. Cultures wer
e obtained by use of a timed-friction rinse before and after a timed h
andwashing. Standard laboratory procedures were followed for identific
ation of the bacteria. Result: When colony counts before handwashing a
re taken into consideration, a significant difference is seen after ha
ndwashing between the two groups (R(2) = 0.56). The regression model s
howed that the slope was significantly steeper (p < 0.0014) for the gr
oup with rings, This effect is more apparent when the colony count on
hands is greater than 1000 colony forming units before handwashing. Co
nclusions: A standardized, timed handwashing procedure was effective i
n decreasing the bioload of HCWs' hands. The effect of rings on the bi
oload was significant in this study.