Short-term assessment of training of medical students in the use of alcohol-based hand rub using fluorescent-labeled hand rub and skin hydration measurements.

This study evaluated 2 measurements of the effectiveness of alcohol-based hand rub application: skin hydration and percentage of skin area covered by fluorescent-labeled hand rub. The use of fluorescent-labeled hand rub is an effective and rapid way to assess the effectiveness of hand rub application and correlates well with the effectiveness of hand hygiene technique, as evaluated by microbial counts on the hands. Measurement of skin hydration also is correlated with effectiveness of coverage and is useful in demonstrating that alcohol-based hand rub does not dehydrate the skin.