Impact of a single plain finger ring on the bacterial load on the hands of healthcare workers

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the impact of a single plain finger ring on the number and types of bacteria on the hands of healthcare workers (HCWs).

Design: Nonequivalent control groups, posttest only (preexperimental).

Methods: A total of 121 HCWs wearing 1 plain ring and 113 HCWs wearing no rings had both hands sampled by the "glove juice" technique. Quantitative culture of the samples was performed and microorganisms were identified.

Setting: Two Norwegian acute care hospitals.

Participants: A total of 234 HCWs who had physical contact with patients.

Results: Total bacterial counts did not differ when hands with rings and hands without rings were compared, both according to nonpaired analysis (which compared the ring-bearing hands of ring-wearing HCWs to the hands of HCWs who did not wear rings [P=.661]) and according to paired analysis (which compared the ring-bearing and ring-free hands of ring-wearing HCWs [P=.071]). Staphylococcus aureus was recovered from 18.6% of the hands sampled, belonging to 26.9% of the HCWs, but neither paired nor nonpaired analysis showed any association with ring wearing. Gram-negative bacteria were recovered from 20.3% of the hands sampled, belonging to 28.6% of the HCWs. Ring-wearing HCWs were significantly more likely to be carriers of Enterobacteriaceae (P=.006), but paired comparison of the ring-bearing and ring-free hands of these HCWs did not show significant differences (P=.180). Carriage of nonfermentative gram-negative rods did not differ between the 2 groups, by either paired or nonpaired analysis.

Conclusions: Wearing a single plain finger ring did not increase the total bacterial load on the hands, nor was it associated with an increased rate of carriage of S. aureus or nonfermentative gram-negative rods. However, plain rings were associated with an increased rate of Enterobacteriaceae carriage.