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Artificial nails a magnet for bacteria
Posted
10-11-99 Ann Arbor, Mich. Nurses who wear artificial fingernails harbor much higher levels of bacteria than other nurses, and even routine handwashing with antibacterial soap may not be enough to kill the pathogens, according to a new report. Researchers found elevated levels of harmful bacteria on both real and fake nails, but nurses with acrylic nails had much higher levels of pathogens before and after handwashing. According to the study, presented at the Interscience Conference of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy last month in San Francisco, 73 percent of artificial nails harbored harmful pathogens before handwashing, compared with 32 percent for real nails. After handwashing, 68 percent of the artificial nails still had pathogens, while bacteria was found on only 26 percent of the real nails. Researchers also found that antimicrobial soap, standard in most hospitals, works much less effectively than alcohol-based gel in killing bacteria. "What we found was that handwashing really didn't make any difference … if you do it badly," said Shelly McNeil, MD, author of the study and a fellow in infectious diseases at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center. "We all know that healthcare workers have harmful bacteria on their hands, and we all wash our hands for a few seconds to 10 seconds. But that's not enough to get rid of these bacteria. And it's even harder to get rid of the bacteria from the artificial nails." Some hospitals already ban artificial nails, especially in surgical departments. Sarah Raphel, MS, RN, the American Nurses Association's director of nursing practice, said she would review the study and would support any ban or control on acrylic nails. The ANA encourages nurses "to adhere to whatever accepted infectious disease control processes are in force in their hospitals," Raphel said in a statement.
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