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IMPACT OF A 5-MINUTE SCRUB ON THE MICROBIAL FLORA FOUND ON ARTIFICIAL, POLISHED, OR NATURAL FINGERNAILS OF OPERATING ROOM PERSONNEL E Edel et al Nursing Research Vol 47 (January 1998) 54-59
The issue of OR staff members' wearing artificial or polished nails has been debated during the last few years. Some health care providers argue that artificial or manicured nails, frequently maintained by nail technicians, are healthier than unmanicured natural nails. These health care providers also maintain that they are not endangering patients because antimicrobial solutions retard microbial growth and their hands are covered by surgical gloves. Current AORN Standards, Recommended Practices, and Guidelines advise against the use of artificial nails in the perioperative environment.1
Some research findings question the safety of antimicrobial soap and the imperviousness of surgical gloves. Studies have found that fungal infections occur more frequently in people wearing artificial nails, particularly when nail technicians prepare the nails and cuticles improperly or use contaminated equipment, or when the artificial nails are worn continuously.
Methodology. The purpose of the research study was to determine whether differences exist in the presence and type of microbes found on the nails and nail beds of OR staff members with natural, polished, or artificial nails before and after a five-minute surgical scrub. The descriptive study used a nonprobability sampling technique.
Subjects who had long nails and reported infections...