title: [Preoperative hand disinfection].
abstract: At Telemark Central Hospital we decided to change the procedure for preoperative disinfection of the hands in order to improve antimicrobial efficacy and to minimize skin problems for the personnel. Previously, preoperative disinfection of hands was performed by scrubbing the hand with a detergent containing chlorohexidine (Hibiscrub) which often caused dryness, fissures and dermatitis. In the recent years it has been amply shown that alcoholic solutions have a very good and immediate antibacterial effect on the skin flora, while chlorohexidine has a prolonged effect. In this paper we describe our new procedures for preoperative disinfection of hands and the necessary planning and preparation we undertook to obtain acceptance for these procedures among the personnel.
authors.affiliation: Hovedavdeling 91, Telemark sentralsjukehus, Skien.
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Kristiansen
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Johnsen
mesh_terms: D000438:Alcohols; D002710:Chlorhexidine / Q000009:adverse effects; D017046:Cost Savings; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006235:Hand Disinfection; D006801:Humans; D009664:Norway; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D002710:Chlorhexidine
vernacular_title: Preoperativ hånddesinfeksjon.