Impact of a 5-Minute Scrub on the Microbial Flora Found on Artificial, Polished, or Natural Fingernails of Operating Room Personnel

Elizabeth Edel, RN, MN, CNOR, CNS, is a nurse manager, Perioperative Education, Perioperative Clinical Nurse Specialist, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, TX. Susan Houston, RN, PhD, is a director, Outcomes Measurement & Research, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, TX. Virginia Kennedy, RN, MS, CIC, is a manager, Infection Control, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, TX. Mark LaRocco, PhD, M(ASCP), Diplomate (ABMM), is a director, Clinical Microbiology, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX. Accepted for publication May 16, 1997. Funded in part by the McDonald Fund, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston, TX. Address reprint request to Susan Houston, RN, PhD, Outcomes Measurement& Research, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, P.O. Box 20269, Houston, TX 77225-0269.