Frequent hand washing not as effective as thought in preventing staphylococcal infection
A new study finds that effectiveness rather than frequency might be more important.
Rejoice, veterinary technicians and assistants-and all veterinary team members-with dry, cracked hands. You might not need to wash your hands as often as you do.
This good news does come with a downside: Increasing the frequency of hand washing isn't as effective as thought in preventing staphylococcal infection in patients. A new study in the online journal BMC Infectious Diseases says that under most circumstances, you should be able to prevent staph infection with a hand-cleansing compliance rate of about 40 percent.
The research also showed the efficacy of hand washing is not directly related to frequency. This suggests that if you wash your hands more effectively, you don't need to wash them as often.
