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Article: Safe and soap-free: CDC endorses alcohol rubs: hand hygiene rises with water-free products.(US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention )
- Article from:
- Hospital Employee Health
- Article date:
- January 1, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 A Thomson Healthcare Company. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Stop trying to get health care workers to wash their hands.
If they rub their hands with an alcohol-based gel, they can save time, avoid skin irritation, and reduce hospital-acquired infections, advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Washing with soap and water still is the only way to remove debris, including blood and body fluids. But a fundamental change in the way hospitals handle hand hygiene will save lives, says CDC director Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH, as the agency released the new hand-hygiene guidelines at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Chicago. (1)
"We'll end up with more ...