International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences | December 2016 | Vol 4 | Issue 12 Page 5141 International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Kadam R et al. Int J Res Med Sci. 2016 Dec;4(12):5141-5143 www.msjonline.org pISSN 2320-6071 | eISSN 2320-6012 Original Research Article A comparative study between the efficacies of betadine scrub (10%) versus alcohol based hand rub in preoperative hand disinfection Rahul Kadam, Chinmoy Sharma*, Abhaykumar Chhallani, Sunil Yadav INTRODUCTION Healthcare-related infection is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. 1,2 The hands of healthcare workers are the main carriers of multidrug-resistant bacteria and nosocomial infections in hospitals, which if not disinfected properly, may lead to serious consequences. 3 Healthcare-related infections are the direct cause of 80,000 deaths in the United States and 5,000 deaths in England every year. 3,4 Effective disinfection of surgeons’ hands depends on multiple factors. 5 Washing time and the type of solutions are the most important factors influencing proper disinfection. 5 There are different types of solutions for hand disinfection, including alcohol-based solutions containing rapid action hand rub and povidone-iodine. Comparative studies on the effectiveness of different disinfectants solutions have not yielded consistent results. To gain further insight into effectiveness of disinfecting solutions, in this study we compared the effectiveness of alcohol-based surgical antiseptic solutions with that of povidone-iodine. METHODS The effectiveness of alcohol based surgical scrub solutions containing rapid action hand rub in surgical disinfection (Sterilium) was compared with povidone- iodine (10% betadine scrub). 9 surgeons, seniors and ABSTRACT Background: Hand hygiene is a crucial measure for preventing healthcare-related infections. Surgical scrub is an important factor in the safety and success of a surgical operation. The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate effectiveness of povidone iodine scrub (10%) and alcohol based hand rubs (Sterilium). Methods: Single centre, double blinded, comparative study performed over a period of 6 months in MGM Medical College and hospital. Sampling was conducted, after the surgeons participating had used either technique for preoperative hand disinfection. Colonies were counted after 48 hours of aerobic incubation at 37°C. Positive cultures were identified and their frequencies were compared. Data were summarized using descriptive statistical methods. Comparison of counts between groups was performed using Chi square test. Results: From the 100 obtained samples, there was higher number of positive growth in Sterilium as compared to povidone iodine scrub (14% versus 8%) though statistically not significant. Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Acinetobacter was the most common organism isolated in both the groups. Conclusions: Povidone-iodine is more efficacious than that of alcohol-based solutions in preoperative hand disinfection. Keywords: Alcohol-based solutions, Hygiene, Povidone-iodine, Surgical scrub Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MGM Institute of Health Sciences, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Received: 18 October 2016 Revised: 24 October 2016 Accepted: 26 October 2016 *Correspondence: Dr. Chinmoy Sharma, E-mail: doc.manish11@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20164058