sharing bars of soap

Published

I work in an assisted living home. In the tub room they have 1 bar of soap and over 30 residents -- they all share the one bar. I can't see how this is safe. Can anyone help me? I want to present this information at our next meeting.

Jennifer

I learned in Micro that a bar of soap only has microbes on its thin outer layer, which washes off easily and is not transfered to the person washing. Here is a study that cooberates this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/10/science/10qna.html?n=Top/News/Science/Topics/Bacteria

This is a study from 1988: pre-MRSA, pre-VRE, and before some of our other more common infectious material got as virulent as they are now.

Also, the question cited in that article was whether family members in a private home needed to go to individual bars, or whether a common bar was acceptable: hardly comparable to a nursing home with (I forget how many?) residents sharing personal supplies.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
This is a study from 1988: pre-MRSA, pre-VRE, and before some of our other more common infectious material got as virulent as they are now.

Also, the question cited in that article was whether family members in a private home needed to go to individual bars, or whether a common bar was acceptable: hardly comparable to a nursing home with (I forget how many?) residents sharing personal supplies.

Hi, I was giving what I learned. I don't think there is hard evidence one way or another actually. Remember, people also touch the outside of the liquid soap dispenser, even though, technically, liquid soap has slightly lower bacteria counts. There is no concrete evidence thus far that using liquid soap, in practise, lowers disease rates.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I'm sorry, but this IS an infection-control issue, besides being just gross. Even at home, my family and I all use different bath soaps!

Frankly, the idea of using a single bar of soap to wash 30 residents (not to mention their private parts) is so revolting I can't even wrap my mind around it. YEEECCCCHHHHH.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Hi, I was giving what I learned. I don't think there is hard evidence one way or another actually. Remember, people also touch the outside of the liquid soap dispenser, even though, technically, liquid soap has slightly lower bacteria counts. There is no concrete evidence thus far that using liquid soap, in practise, lowers disease rates.

I know you're just saying what you learned, that's fine; I'm just saying that I think that study is outdated and just doesn't apply to healthcare facilities today. And the article that quotes it is talking about at-home use amongst a few healthy related family members, not 30 residents of a nursing home.

There might not be hard evidence, but I still have to believe that sharing a single bar of soap amongst 30 unrelated people in a healthcare facility has a higher risk of spreading infectious material than using individual bars.

Barring that, while liquid soap dispensers may be touched by people's hands, they are not rubbing their various body parts on them--people also touch all other surfaces within the healthcare facility, so we're not talking about simply touching a surface. For what it's worth, my hospital uses motion-detecting soap dispensers and alcohol-foam dispensers, so no touching is even required for those. I imagine that those would be the ideal standard if one is to use a dispenser of any sort in a multiple-person shower room.

I can only IMAGINE the reaction if I were to tote a washbasin from room to room, patient to patient, using the same bar of soap to have each one wash. I'd think the FIRST person to see that the soap bar was just used by his roommate and now was being offered to him, would freak at the idea.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I'm not really advocating the use of bar soap, but I'm saying that there's not the evidence present to say that liquid soap has better clinical outcomes.

By the way, you certainly can use bar soap without rubbing the bar itsself all over a person. You take the soap and lather up a washcloth. That's how it would have been traditionally used in a setting like you describe.

We are all about evidence based nursing care, and the evidence is not there to uphold the claim that bar soap is dangerous. If you use it properly, it shouldn't be a problem.

I do agree that in a residential setting that liquid soap is probably more practical.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
:no::eek: How gross!!!
Up Vote Up Vote ×

hmmmm...

don't know why, but it's just not grossing me out.

i think a thorough rinse inbetween use, would be fine.

but, very little grosses me out.

i get more grossed out at the thought of the same bath water being used, rather the soap.

leslie

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.

Pathogenic organisms have been found on or around bar soap during and after use. Using liquid soap with hands-free controls for dispensing is preferable.

http://www.cdc.gov/oralHealth/infectioncontrol/faq/hand.htm#footnotes footnote #1

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you all for your help. I ppreciate it.

Jenn

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER/ICU, CCL, EP.
Hi, I was giving what I learned. I don't think there is hard evidence one way or another actually. Remember, people also touch the outside of the liquid soap dispenser, even though, technically, liquid soap has slightly lower bacteria counts. There is no concrete evidence thus far that using liquid soap, in practise, lowers disease rates.

Erm.....yeh. Tell you what, let me mail you the bar of soap my 15 year old son uses. *I* won't use that one ;)

Sorry, couldn't resist. Citing studies is always a good thing, but I would never reuse soap with patients. No wonder we treat all nursing home patients like they have Cdiff at my hospital.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion