Tampa (Fla.) GeneralHospital stopped using antibacterial soap a year before the FDA issued its final ruling on the issue on Sept. 2.
The FDA ruling states that companies will no longer be able to market antibacterial washes with specific ingredients such as triclosan and triclocarban because manufactures could not demonstrate that such ingredients were safe for extended use and more effective than soap and water at preventing the spread of illness and certain infections.
Tampa General’s director of infection prevention Peggy Thompson said the company that helped facilitate the change to touchless dispensers dispensing plain soap said the majority of hospitals they worked with were split on the issue. Ms. Thompson said she went ahead with the change because she was confident none of the patients would be harmed.
“[The company] said their hospitals were split about 50/50, some were using an antibacterial soap and some were no,.” Ms.Thompson told ABC WFTS news. “So, I felt confident that we weren’t really going out on a limb by getting rid of antibacterial soap. I also feel very confident that we have not made any change that would put patients at risk.”
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