Relationship between hand hygiene and cutaneous findings during COVID-19 pandemic

Background In the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) have to comply with hygiene conditions and use gloves more frequently and for a longer period of time than they would previously to avoid infection and prevent transmission. Aims We aimed to characterize the adverse skin reactions occurring after hand hygiene and glove use in HCWs in a tertiary university hospital to determine the possible causative factors and whether the use of these measures is affected. Methods Between April 15 and May 1, 2020, a cross-sectional survey was conducted, using online questionnaire, answered by HCWs in a tertiary university hospital. Results The increase in general hand-skin problems during the pandemic period was statistically significant (P = .004). The most common symptom was dryness. During the pandemic period, 67 (24.3%) HCWs thought that the conditions were caused by glove use, and 197 (71.4%) thought that they were due to alcohol-based hand antiseptics. The incidence of other hand-skin conditions except for vesicles was statistically higher in women than in men (P < .001). Conclusions Increased number of hand-skin conditions during the pandemic should not be ignored, since hand hygiene and glove use are expected to increase.