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Spanish researchers have found that children who wash their hands with a disinfectant rather than soap and water reduce missed school days, respiratory infections and antibiotic prescriptions.
The researchers studied 911 children under 3 attending 24 crèches in Almería, Spain. They divided the children, their families, and their daycares into three groups: one group used a hand sanitizer to wash their hands and another used soap and water, both of which had strict protocols for hand washing. hygiene matter. A third group, the control group, followed their usual handwashing procedures.
All three groups participated in hand hygiene workshops prior to the start of the study. But the groups of hand sanitizer and soap and water participated in follow-up sessions on respiratory infections and fevers and received hand hygiene documentation. They received hygiene protocols, including washing their hands before and after lunch, on their arrival at home and after coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose, the study said.
During the eight-month study period, the 911 students had 5,211 respiratory infections, resulting in 5,186 days of missed care. The group of hand sanitizers missed 3.25% of day care days, followed by the soap and water group, which missed 3.9% of days. The group following their usual handwashing routine missed 4.2% of the days.
The authors also found that the soapy water group was 21% more likely to get a respiratory infection – runny nose, congestion, cough and sore throat, for example – and 31% more risk of getting antibiotics prescribed who use a hand sanitizer.
There was a 23% reduction in respiratory infections in students using a hand sanitizer compared to those in the control group.
Goldmann, who did not participate in the new research, said the study lacked details on the measures taken to implement the program, both in day care and at home.
"If you were in the Bronx in New York and wanted to implement this program, you would probably need to contact the investigators to understand the specifics of what they did and how they did it. "said Goldmann, also part-time. professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
"Of course, washing your hands is one way to prevent infections," she said. "We know a lot about how it works, and we are paying more attention to the fact that it's not just about washing your hands, but about washing your hands."
For the hand sanitizer, the CDC suggests applying the product on one hand and rubbing it on the surfaces of the hands and fingers until they are dry. The CDC notes that "hand sanitizers are not as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy",
"There is a place for alcohol hand sanitizers, and the public may not be aware of its effectiveness," said Haas. "I think people still think of them as" if you can not go to a sink, that's the second best solution, "but in this study, she showed that it was better than wash your hands with soap and water for this group. "
Although the research was conducted in Spain, Haas believes the results are applicable in other parts of the world, with most developed countries facing the same problems of spreading germs.
However, regardless of the benefits of the hand sanitizer, Haas and Goldmann emphasized that safety must be taken into account when using it with children as young.
"They have to be used with supervision," said Haas, "because the caveat here is that you can not have young children who put this in their mouths and who are at risk of becoming intoxicated with alcohol. "
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