Abstract
Proper hand drying is a fundamental part of the hand hygiene process looking at optimizing the elimination of potentially pathogenic microbes. This research compared the effectiveness of three different hand drying methods—paper towels, the use of warm air dryers in stationary hands position, and the use of air drying while hand rubbing—and their potential for cross-contamination of other users and the surrounding environment. One hundred sixty samples were collected from finger pads and palms, before and after drying. The outlet of the air dryers, air current emitted from the air dryers, and washroom environment air were also tested. The study reported that paper towels were more successful in eliminating bacteria and lead to less contamination to the washroom environment compared to the air dryers. The average number of bacteria obtained from volunteers using hand air dryer while hand rubbing was significantly higher than drying with air dryer while holding hands stationary. Plates exposed to the turned-off dryer for 5 minutes gave an average of only 25 colonies/plate, while plates exposed to the air outlet of the turned-on warm air dryers provided 292 colonies/plate. Placing Petri dishes at least one meter away from the dryer in the washroom for 30 minutes gave 72.5 colonies/plate. The current research also documented frequent contamination of public washroom environments and showed dissemination of potential pathogens, including Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella species, Bacillus cereus (B. cereus), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and coagulase-negative Staphylococci. Over 70.0% of Staphylococci were resistant to at least three antibiotics and 50.0% revealed coresistance to at least four antibiotics including penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, and co-trimoxazole. The method of hand drying may serve as a risk factor of cross-contamination from users to the environment and subsequent users and as reservoirs of drug-resistant bacteria in public washrooms.
Highlights
Hand hygiene has been documented as the easiest and the most efficient method existing in a number of settings to minimize the risk of infection transmission, including healthcare settings, food industry, schools, and other public locations [1,2,3]
A small number of studies comparing the efficiency of warm air dryers to paper towels were carried out focusing generally on the number of microorganisms left on the hands after drying [8,9,10,11,12,13]. ese findings have revealed that the number of bacteria left on the hands depends primary on the type of microbe, the time and the method of drying, and the portion of the hand examined. e majority of these studies have shown that any method has its benefits and limitations but that, with any drying process, satisfactory results can be obtained if the hands are fully dried by the technique
Paper towel was found to be superior to the air dryer for hand palms and finger pads (Figure 1). e number of residual bacteria on the fingers was substantially increased in the participants who had dried their hands with the air dryer compared to the drying with paper towels. e result was significant at p < 0.05 for finger using paper towel (140.1) compared to drying with the air dryer (276.6)
Summary
Hand hygiene has been documented as the easiest and the most efficient method existing in a number of settings to minimize the risk of infection transmission, including healthcare settings, food industry, schools, and other public locations [1,2,3]. Wet hands have shown higher probability both of getting microorganisms from polluted objects and of transmitting them to uncontaminated matters [4, 5]; proper hand drying after washing is an important aspect of the process. It has become noticeable that hand drying is vitally important for preventing diseases transmission, since bacteria more likely multiply in humid environments and water is transferred between objects [6, 7]. A small number of studies comparing the efficiency of warm air dryers to paper towels were carried out focusing generally on the number of microorganisms left on the hands after drying [8,9,10,11,12,13].
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