High speed air dryers not only leave more contamination on poorly washed hands compared to paper towels but during hand drying, they can also spread germs onto clothing, ultimately transferring more bacteria to other surfaces, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
High speed air dryers not only leave more contamination on poorly washed hands compared to paper towels but during hand drying, they can also spread germs onto clothing, ultimately transferring more bacteria to other surfaces, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
Past research has shown recommended handwashing practices for healthcare workers are often not followed with average adherence of 40%. To better understand the impact of hand drying in hand hygiene, researchers conducted an experiment to learn the role of different hand drying methods in spreading germs from poorly washed hands beyond the restroom.
For the study, volunteers sanitized their hands with 70% alcohol disinfectant, dipped them in a nonharmful viral solution, shook them off, and then dried them either using an air dryer or paper towels. During the experiment, volunteers wore an apron to test contamination of clothing. Volunteers then took a predetermined path through the hospital touching commonly used surfaces, such as elevator buttons, along the way. Samples were collected from surfaces that volunteers touched and also from the aprons.
Read more at Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
