Hand Care Issues Intact skin is a first line defence mechanism
against infection. Damaged skin can not only lead to infection
in the host, but can also harbour higher numbers of micro-
organisms than intact skin and hence increase the risk of
transmission to others. Damaged skin on HCWs is an important
issue and needs to be seriously addressed (click here for an
example of a skin care questionnaire for healthcare workers).
There are two major types of skin reactions associated with hand
hygiene. Irritant contact dermatitis; which includes symptoms
that can vary from mild to debilitating, including dryness,
irritation, itching, and even cracking and bleeding. The other
being allergic contact dermatitis, which is rare and represents
an allergy to some ingredient in a hand hygiene product. In its
most serious form allergic contact dermatitis may be associated
with symptoms of anaphylaxis (1). The vast majority of skin
problems among HCWs that are related to HH are due to “irritant
contact dermatitis” (27). Irrita