MICROBIOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC-STUDIES ON SHORTER PROCEDURES FOR SURGICAL HAND DISINFECTION

An investigation was performed of whether shortened procedures for sur gical hand disinfection (2 and 3 min, respectively) are equally effect ive as the usual German standard procedure of 5 min duration and, in a ddition, which saving of working time and costs would be achievable if shorter procedures were employed. The shortened procedures were: 1) 3 min alcoholic disinfectant (1 min prior handwashing) and 2) 1 min chl orhexidine detergent (Hibiscrub(R)), 2 min 0.5 % chlorhexidine in 70 % isopropanol (Hibisol(R)). The two shortened procedures were equally e ffective as the standard procedure (test of equivalence, p < 0.05). Th e savings of working time and costs calculated for 17708 operations we re 1) 2360 h or 79768 German marks and 2) 3540 h or 119652 German mark s, respectively.