Abstract
The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of hand cones or “hand rolls” on the contamination control and deodorization of contracted hands of bedridden patients. Twenty inpatients with hand contracture aged 65 and over were examined. After their hands were carefully washed, their contamination and odor were measured regularly by an ATP bioluminescence device and a metal oxide odor sensor, respectively. The test was done under four conditions, three using different types of hand cones and one with no use of hand cones. The three types of hand cones tested were those with and without finger separators, and those with green tea leaves inside. The results showed that, three days after the hand wash the hand cones with and without finger separators significantly improved the odor of the contracted hands, compared with when no hand cones were used. In addition to this odor improvement, those with finger separators significantly reduced the skin contamination of the hands. In contrast, those with green tea leaves showed no clear effects on contamination or odor. This can be due to a limitation of the metal oxide odor sensor, which cannot discriminate between pleasant and unpleasant odors.
