For the millions of health care workers in the United States, repeated hand washing may not seem like an occupational hazard at first glance. In fact, good hand hygiene is essential in health care workers to stop the spread of potentially serious infections, such as staphylococcus and clostridium. However, new research examining the risk factors for irritant contact dermatitis among health care workers finds that those who washed their hands more than 10 times per day were more likely to develop the condition than those who washed their hands less frequently.

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Speaking at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, Susan T. ...