Poll: Do you use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer as an adjunct to handwashing?

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  1. Do you use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer as an adjunct to handwashing?

    • 670
      Yes
    • 106
      No

776 members have participated

Do you use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer as an adjunct to handwashing?

Please vote and post comments.

I am glad that you agree with me. As an RN supervisor, I try to keep up with all the advances in medicine. Sanitizers come in a variety of types for us. Some have moisturizers in them that help your hands. Getting your places of work to buy them may be another thing. They all scream "keep the spending down".

I don't even use soap at home. There are new products on the market that you can use one time and throw it away. Think of washing dishes, if you don't have a dishwasher, you use that didsh rag over and over again. That just breeds germs even though we have somehow ajusted to it. I use a throw away rag for my dish washing now.

It may be expensive, but my family and others lives are my concern.

I hope that more nurses use sanitizers that will work the best for them. Our hand are an important part of our nursing actions. :clown:

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The only time I have used alcohol-based hand sanitizers is when I was in remote villages without running water in the clinic. Even then, I felt the need to wash my hands using "hauled in water" every few immunizations.

My motto as been "when in doubt wash your hands" and washing means soap and water.

Charlotte

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I understand that when you have no other alternative to cleaning your hands, then if you have soap use it. But if you come into contact with a bacteria, virus, or something that is unusual or dangerous in a third world country, how well will soap protect you? You are not always set up in an area with the proper supplies, like MASH, then I would want my sanitizer with me. I have never experienced working in another country, but if I had to, I would find out what type of supplies they had. I am a really scared nurse when it comes to highly contagious diseases, therefore I would want the sanitizer as compared to the soap.

Studies, which of course everyone has their opinions, show that sanitizers are better than soap and most places in the US are switching over to one of several types of sanitizers on the market.

I envy you if you have been to another country. I would have loved to go somewhere. I work with the Red Cross and they ask me if I would go to Thailand, but I couldn't go because of an injury to my knee. I wish that I could have.

I appreciate your views on the subject. It gives us insight into what other are doing in other parts of the world.

Thank you

Sandie :)

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I am in home care nursing so I use the alcohol cleanser alot. Even when I worked in the hospital I used it quite a bit. I do find it is alot less damaging to my skin. Before the alcohol gel my hand would absolutley kill me and be bright red my the end of my shift. I always wash when it is appropriate however I really prefer the gel.

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Hi Sandie:

I have only been to Canada as a different country. The villages I was referring to are in Alaska. Even if the health clinic has running water there is no quarantee that the individual homes are plumbed. Most of the schools have running water. Those without water "haul it" in from the village well so it is something you do not waste.

I have read all the studies and agree they look encouraging but some part of me (the older part ) just cannot substitute the sanitizer on a regular basis for good handwashing. I teach CNAs and that is the FIRST thing they learn and the last thing they are tested on in class.

Of course, if someone is NOT washing their hands NOW, then using the sanitizer is a plus for infection control. There are more of these people then you think. Eventually the gel (if they use it) will build up on their hands and they will WANT to wash them. I

remember all the hype when gloves had to be worn (I worked in LTC without gloves for two decades before introduced). THen and even now some feel that gloves take the place of good handwashing. Maybe that is why I am reluctant to use???

A wonderful discussion, which was my expectation when joining here.

Thanks for continuing the thread. Charlotte

I understand that when you have no other alternative to cleaning your hands, then if you have soap use it. But if you come into contact with a bacteria, virus, or something that is unusual or dangerous in a third world country, how well will soap protect you? You are not always set up in an area with the proper supplies, like MASH, then I would want my sanitizer with me. I have never experienced working in another country, but if I had to, I would find out what type of supplies they had. I am a really scared nurse when it comes to highly contagious diseases, therefore I would want the sanitizer as compared to the soap.

Studies, which of course everyone has their opinions, show that sanitizers are better than soap and most places in the US are switching over to one of several types of sanitizers on the market.

I envy you if you have been to another country. I would have loved to go somewhere. I work with the Red Cross and they ask me if I would go to Thailand, but I couldn't go because of an injury to my knee. I wish that I could have.

I appreciate your views on the subject. It gives us insight into what other are doing in other parts of the world.

Thank you

Sandie :)

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Specializes in oncology, surgical stepdown, ACLS & OCN.
I constantly use it! I even wash my hands, then use it- everyone on my unit has been so sick and I am desperate to escape this flu bug!!

I agree that these gels are great to use on the units, but they don't belong in the OR, the old fashioned betadine scrub is better for OR cases. Betadine kills bacteria asap!

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I use the alcohol handwash between patients, before/after giving meds, etc. I always do a soap and water wash whenever my hands are visibly soiled or if I've had gloves on.

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Thank you for responding to my words. I am an older nurse who also teaches CNAs. I have had to revise my way of thinking that I was taught when I was becoming an LPN.

I did not mean to insinuate that that Alaska was a third world country, obviously it belongs to the US. I had a BSN instructor whos sister is living with the Inuit, I believe I spelled that right, if I didn't I apologize to anyone that reads this, and she is not a nurse but she writes articles and papers to assist the residents of the of several of the tribes. She knows only too well how valuable soap can be for her, but she also had her sister to tell her the value of a good sanitizer, which she keeps with her at all times. She does not try to offend anyone, but she wants to remain safe.

Thank again for your words.

Seinna :nurse:

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Hi Seinna:

No offense taken on my part so don't worry about that. Actually in some ways Alaska is a third-world state even if part of the USA. This is especially evident in the basics such as water (we have a well and septic system but many have neither), phones (my cell phone does not work in my front yard just 26 miles from town), and electricity (none just 50 miles out of Fairbanks - 2nd largest city). We are slowly gaining as technology increases. It is just another aspect of health care that a nurse must consider. For example, getting an oxygen concentrator for an elder without electricity has been know to happen.

Great discussion and the reason I joined the site. Thanks, Charlotte

Thank you for responding to my words. I am an older nurse who also teaches CNAs. I have had to revise my way of thinking that I was taught when I was becoming an LPN.

I did not mean to insinuate that that Alaska was a third world country, obviously it belongs to the US. I had a BSN instructor whos sister is living with the Inuit, I believe I spelled that right, if I didn't I apologize to anyone that reads this, and she is not a nurse but she writes articles and papers to assist the residents of the of several of the tribes. She knows only too well how valuable soap can be for her, but she also had her sister to tell her the value of a good sanitizer, which she keeps with her at all times. She does not try to offend anyone, but she wants to remain safe.

Thank again for your words.

Seinna :nurse:

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The infection control dept at my facility states that it is okay to use the alcohol foam instead of washing hands unless the hands are visibly soiled and/or that pt is in an isolation room of somesort. I believe that this info also comes from the CDC.

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I love the stuff i have had lots of cuts on my hands from washing all the time now i use this stuff and wash in between patients they still get cracked but not as bad and it smells good to.

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Specializes in oncology, surgical stepdown, ACLS & OCN.
I love the stuff i have had lots of cuts on my hands from washing all the time now i use this stuff and wash in between patients they still get cracked but not as bad and it smells good to.

I agree w/ you, it does smell great, I use it after I've assessed a patient, then wash in between patients, it really is nice to your hands. I still use bath

and body works antibacterial soap and lotion in between patients though which also smells great, they have a lot of different scents. :)

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