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|Articles|May 24, 2001

CDC Nails Nurses

ATLANTA, Ga-Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published a new guideline on hand hygiene that states healthcare workers (HCWs) should not wear artificial nails.

The guideline says artificial nails or nail extenders should not be worn by nurses who treat patients. Artificial nails harbor pathogens that can cause nosocomial infections. Three unusual surgical site infections were recently linked back to an operating room staff member who wore artificial nails.

The guideline also recommends the use of waterless alcohol-based agents for routine hand antisepsis.

Organizations participating in the development of the guideline include the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

Information from icanNews

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