
Infection Control Consulting Services President Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, a leading provider of ASC infection prevention consulting and infection-related services to many other types of healthcare facilities, shared her thoughts on the issue.
Q: I have a surgeon who wants to allow patients to wear nail polish and keep their artificial nails on. Has anyone run into this issue and how did you resolve it?
Phenelle Segal: I have just returned from an ASC visit where patients with artificial nails or long natural nails are given a nailbrush with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) and instructions for scrubbing them while in the holidng area.
I think that is a great compromise given that we can't force patients to remove the nails or the polish.