Many hospitals abandon soap for alcohol rinses

AP Medical Editor
Published Sunday, September 29, 2002

SAN DIEGO -- Soap and water may be all washed up. Many hospitals are switching to quick-drying alcohol gels to keep hands clean as evidence builds they stop dangerous germs faster and better.

The spread of microbes in hospitals is a huge health problem, making sick people sicker and resulting in an estimated 20,000 deaths in the United States each year. One of the chief ways germs spread is on the hands of nurses, doctors, technicians and others who move from patient to patient.

While hospital workers are routinely urged to wash up between patients, a thorough job can take a full minute, results in dry skin and is often skipped to save time, especially in hectic intensive care wards where the risk can be greatest.

The latest research, presented Saturday at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, suggests the alcohol-based rinses are surprisingly effective at cutting hospital germs, since they are much quicker, require no water or sink and kill more microbes.

"You go up to a dispenser, go "click!" and it's there. The time saving is amazing. It's something people actually do use rather than walking by the sink," said Dr. Barbara Murray of the University of Texas at Houston.

Over the past two years, some hospitals have installed alcohol gel dispensers beside every bed, and many more are planning to switch. New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to be released later this fall, are expected to recommend hospitals use the alcohol gels exclusively except when workers hands are visibly soiled.

"This will represent a revolution in hand hygiene," said nurse Elaine Larson, associate dean for research at Columbia University. "No longer is the best way to clean your hands washing them. Can you imagine telling surgeons you no longer need to scrub? This is news, and it's very exciting."

The alcohol rinses, available as foam, gel or lotion, are simple to use: Pour a dime-size blob on one palm, then rub the hands together until it dries, which takes about 15 seconds. The solutions also contain moisturizers, so they do not dry the skin. Identical products are available in grocery stores.

"One of the real barriers to hand hygiene is how busy health care workers are," said Dr. David Hooper of Massachusetts General Hospital. "The ability to very rapidly kill bacteria on your hands is a great advantage."

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