Week 6

Hi everyone! I’m posting my research proposal below since I forgot to do that for Week 4. I’ve also put a picture of the Hibiclens plate made a few weeks ago. It did very well compared to the other soaps, forming only 3 colonies!

Research Proposal 

This topic is significant because understanding the different and most effective types of handwashing techniques and soaps to use can be very beneficial towards maintaining cleanliness and promoting infection control. It is important to learn more about this topic because washing your hands is the simplest and most effective way to prevent the spread of bacteria and disease when applied correctly. It is important to conduct research in this area because it assists in identifying the effectiveness of different products and techniques. 

I am planning to experiment for my research project through the testing of different types of soaps and just water and using the W.H.O handwashing technique by deriving data from counting colonies on media cultures. 

Variable Table

Name	I/D/C	Units	Description
Water rinse	C	L	Washing hands with just water and no soap.
Type of soap	IV	oz/mL	Bar soaps (a type of “dry” soap that is in a bar shape) and a foaming soap (a type of “wet” soap that foams after being dispensed). Variety of bar soaps include popular brands such as Irish Spring, Dove antibacterial, Bath and Body Works, and Meyers natural soap. Hibiclens is a foaming soap used in hospital work environments and before surgeries.
Temperature	C	Celsius	Temperature of the water will be the same for each trial of handwashing.
W.H.O. Handwashing Steps	C	Graphic	The World Health Organization recommended steps for appropriate handwashing.
BAP Culture	DV	-	Used for measuring how effective each soap or just water is by counting colonies.

My research question is, based on the different types of soaps or just water that is used combined with the W.H.O handwashing technique and through testing of hand/fingernail cleanliness by observing and counting colonies on media culture, which type of soap or only water proves to be the most effective at eliminating as many organisms on the hands as possible. Based on the previous semesters data, my hypothesis is, if the W.H.O hand washing technique combined with the Hibiclens antiseptic soap is utilized, then the amount of bacteria, representing the amount on the hands, discovered and counted on the media plates will be less than using the other types of soaps or only water. The results that I may discover are whether or not the previous results that were observed with U.V. light and the Glo-Germ lotion correlates with the results of the media cultures and if the Hibiclens soap continues to prove to be the most effective at decreasing bacterial counts.

References: 

Burton, Maxine, et al. “The Effect of Handwashing with Water or Soap on Bacterial Contamination of Hands.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3037063/.

FISCHLER, GEORGE E., et al. “Effect of Hand Wash Agents on Controlling the Transmission of Pathogenic Bacteria from Hands to Food.” Science Direct Assets, 27 July 2007, Science Direct Assets.

Nasution, Tetty Aman, et al. “Effectiveness Hand Washing and Hand Rub Method in Reducing Total Bacteria Colony from Nurses in Medan.” Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 14 Oct. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6980800/.

Suen, Lorna K. P., et al. “Microbiological Evaluation of Different Hand Drying Methods for Removing Bacteria from Washed Hands.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 24 Sept. 2019, www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-50239-4.

Zuniga, Cynthia. “Handwashing Lab Report (1) (PDF).” CliffsNotes, 13 May 2024, www.cliffsnotes.com/study-notes/13953865.