Clinical study on the influence of regular use of alcohol-based hand rubs on the skin microbiome

FHH Brill, M Alawi, JH Klock, D Prasse, L Passvogel

ESCMID Global 2026 | Poster session | Poster number : P3852 | Session title: 08h. Disinfection & sterilisation (incl medical device reprocessing) | Session date: 21. April 2026 | Session time and location : 12:00 - 13:30 in the Poster Hall B3

Background: In healthcare, alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHR) are used up to 100 times daily as most important measure for preventing infections. Consequently, it is a hot topic how this affects skin healthiness and subsequently compliance as skin diseases are the most common cause of absenteeism among healthcare workers. The skin microbiome plays an important role in ensuring healthy skin. Consequently, the aim of the study was to show how ABHR influencing the skin microbiome.