By Healthcare Facilities Today

A recently published study in the American Journal of Infection Control suggested that hand hygiene prior to putting on gloves may not be necessary, according to an article on the McKnight's website. A group of 115 caregivers at the University of Maryland Hospital Intensive Care Unit was split with one group using an alcohol-based cleanser before putting on gloves and the other putting gloves on directly.

After testing the fingertips and palms of the gloves,, the study found that the total bacterial colony counts of gloved hands did not differ between the two groups. Most of the bacteria was not harmful, although Staphylococcus aureus was found once in the hand hygiene group and twice in the group that put the gloves on without cleansing.

Another recent study came to a different conclusion. After finding a high incidence of Clostridium difficile colonization on caregivers' hands, researchers in France stressed the importance of hand hygiene and noted that gloves alone are not adequate protection, the article said.

Read the article.