title: Presurgical hand antisepsis: concepts and current habits of veterinary surgeons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess current habits for surgical hand preparation among veterinary surgical specialists and to compare data with current guidelines for hand asepsis techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey of veterinary surgical specialists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diplomates of the American (ACVS) and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons (ECVS).
  
  
  METHODS
  An internet-based survey of hand preparation methods before surgical procedures was conducted of 1300 listed ACVS and ECVS Diplomates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 42.6% response rate was obtained. Approximately, 80% of respondents use disinfecting soaps as a primary method for hand antisepsis. Of those, 81% use chlorhexidine-based scrubs and 7% use a neutral soap followed by a hydroalcoholic solution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contrary to current recommendations of the World Health Organization and scientific evidence supporting use of hydro-alcoholic rubs for presurgical hand preparation, veterinary surgical specialists still use surgical scrub solutions containing disinfecting soaps.
authors: Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals and Equids, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Liege, Liege, Belgium. denis@proamhorses.eu
authors: Denis
authors: D
authors: Verwilghen
authors: Sigrid
authors: S
authors: Grulke
authors: Günter
authors: G
authors: Kampf
mesh_terms: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005060:Europe; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006235:Hand Disinfection / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D057234:Preoperative Period; D013522:Surgery, Veterinary; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D018634:Veterinarians
chemical_list: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local