Is isopropyl alcohol swabbing before injection really necessary?

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Author(s)
Del Mar, Chris B.
Glasziou, Paul P.
Spinks, Anneliese Barclay
Sanders, Sharon L.
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2001
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
A patient ha~ilng her skin swabbed before an intramuscular
injection asked her general practitioner "What is the
value of cleaning the skin like that?". This prompted the GP
to wonder whether sterilising the skin for one to three seconds
with 70% isopropyl alcqhoi conferred any benefit. He
wanted to know if it actually prevented sepsis at the site of
injection.A patient ha~ilng her skin swabbed before an intramuscular
injection asked her general practitioner "What is the
value of cleaning the skin like that?". This prompted the GP
to wonder whether sterilising the skin for one to three seconds
with 70% isopropyl alcqhoi conferred any benefit. He
wanted to know if it actually prevented sepsis at the site of
injection.
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Journal Title
Medical Journal of Australia
Volume
174
Publisher URI
Copyright Statement
Spinks B, Sanders SL. Is isopropyl alcohol swabbing before injection really necessary? Med J Aust 2001; 174(6): 306. © Copyright 2001 The Medical Journal of Australia – reproduced with permission.
Subject
Medical and Health Sciences
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences