Abstract
To examine the antibacterial effectiveness of handwashing with electrolyzed water (EW) when everyday nursing procedures are performed, the cleansing effectiveness of washing for 10s or 30s with EW, washing with 7.5O (w/v) povidone-iodineliquid (PI-washing), washing with medicated liquid soap (mls-washing), and washing with non-antiseptic, plain liquid soap (Is-washing) was compared. When the bacterial counts from hands after nursing procedures were 103cfu/hand or greater, it was suggested that washing for 10s or 30s with EW could be expected to have the same level of washing effectiveness asthat for mis-washing or Iswashing. Compared to PI-washing, however, the survival ratios were higher. When the bacterial counts from hands were less than 103cfu/hand after nursing procedures, washing for 10s or 30s with EW was more effective than Is-washing. Furthermore, EW could keep the bacterial counts from hands as low as those after PI-washing. Based on the above results, washing with EW was as effective as mls-washing, and though slightly less effective than PI-washing, it was considered that the same level of effectiveness seen with PI-washing could be expected for relatively lightly contaminated hands after daily nursing procedures.
