INTRODUCTION: Hand hygiene is an important procedure in preventing peritoneal dialysis-related infections. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of two distinct techniques for hand hygiene in reducing the number of colony-forming units in patients on peritoneal dialysis. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Controlled clinical trial. Thirty patients underwent three collections of microbiological flora from the hands in three different instances: before and after hand washing with glycerin soap and water, and after rubbing 70% glycerin gel-alcohol. Cultures were obtained by applying the fingers surface directly on agar-blood plates. RESULTS: Cultures mean growth were 31, 30 e 12 colony-forming units prior to washing, after washing with glycerin soap and water, and following gel-alcohol, respectively (p < 0.001). Staphylococcus epidermidis was the predominant germ in culture, occurring in 93.7% of seeded plates. CONCLUSION: Hand rubbing with gel-alcohol was more effective in reducing the number of colonies recovered than the other methods.
ethanol; peritoneal dialysis; renal insufficiency; chronic; skin care