Introduction “It is estimated that there are about 1.4 million healthcare associated infection (HCAI) cases at any given time,” and are major sources of morbidity and mortality worldwide (World Health Organization, 2009). The spread of microorganisms causing HCAIs are frequently linked to health care workers and poor hand hygiene, therefore, hand hygiene is considered to be the an essential infection practice in protecting our patients and ourselves. According to the Center Disease Control (CDC), there are numerous variables surrounding hand hygiene that increase patients risk of contacting HCAI, one such example being long natural or artificial nails. Background
In 2002, the CDC established guidelines recommending that artificial fingernails …show more content…
However, the evidence is strong and proves otherwise. According to the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published in 2002, “Health care workers who wear artificial nails are more likely to harbor gram-negative pathogens on their fingertips than are those who have natural nails, both before and after hand washing.” One study that proved this was published in 1999 in the Oxford Journal of Clinical Infectious Disease found that “86% of a volunteer group of healthcare workers with artificial nails had a pathogen such as Staphylococcus aureus, which causes staph infections, or yeast under their nails, compared with 35% of a control group of healthcare workers without artificial nails… After cleaning their hands with soap or gel, 68% of healthcare workers with artificial nails still carried pathogens compared to 28% of control healthcare workers” (Mcneil et al., 2009). The study concluded that even after careful hand washing or the use of surgical scrubs, health care workers often harbor substantial numbers of potential pathogens beneath the fingernails. In another study published in 2000 by the Oklahoma State Department of Health Study linked 2 nurses, one with long natural nails and one with artificial nails, to an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram negative bacteria that can cause blood poisoning. They found that “46 neonatal intensive care unit patients in a university-affiliated children's hospital acquired P. aeruginosa and 16 of them died” (Moolenaar et al.,
In 2002, the CDC established guidelines recommending that artificial fingernails …show more content…
However, the evidence is strong and proves otherwise. According to the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published in 2002, “Health care workers who wear artificial nails are more likely to harbor gram-negative pathogens on their fingertips than are those who have natural nails, both before and after hand washing.” One study that proved this was published in 1999 in the Oxford Journal of Clinical Infectious Disease found that “86% of a volunteer group of healthcare workers with artificial nails had a pathogen such as Staphylococcus aureus, which causes staph infections, or yeast under their nails, compared with 35% of a control group of healthcare workers without artificial nails… After cleaning their hands with soap or gel, 68% of healthcare workers with artificial nails still carried pathogens compared to 28% of control healthcare workers” (Mcneil et al., 2009). The study concluded that even after careful hand washing or the use of surgical scrubs, health care workers often harbor substantial numbers of potential pathogens beneath the fingernails. In another study published in 2000 by the Oklahoma State Department of Health Study linked 2 nurses, one with long natural nails and one with artificial nails, to an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram negative bacteria that can cause blood poisoning. They found that “46 neonatal intensive care unit patients in a university-affiliated children's hospital acquired P. aeruginosa and 16 of them died” (Moolenaar et al.,