Prospective, controlled, cross-over trial of alcohol-based hand gel in critical care units .

Background: There are limited data from prospective studies to indicate whether improvement in hand hygiene associated with the use of alcohol-based hand hygiene products results in improved patient outcomes.

Design: A 2-year, prospective, controlled, cross-over trial of alcohol-based hand gel.

Setting: The study was conducted in 2 medical-surgical ICUs for adults, each with 12 beds, from August 2001 to September 2003 at a university-associated, tertiary care teaching hospital.