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Board approves updated hand-hygiene rulemaking package aligning with CDC, CDPH guidance
Summary
The board voted to rescind older proposed text and approve new amendments to treatment-procedure rules that allow alcohol-based hand rubs when hands are not visibly soiled and set a minimum alcohol concentration, then directed staff to submit the package for formal rulemaking review.
The California Acupuncture Board voted to rescind previously approved proposed language and to adopt a newly revised rulemaking package updating hand-hygiene requirements for acupuncture treatment, aligning the board’s regulations with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidance.
Policy staff summarized the history: the topic first surfaced at board meetings in 2014, and earlier proposed language required further edits to align with updated CDC recommendations. The newly proposed amendments update the method of handwashing, add direction to permit the use of alcohol-based hand rubs when hands are not visibly soiled, specify that alcohol-based products must be at least 60 percent alcohol, and require use according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Board members moved and seconded the staff recommendation to rescind prior proposed text and approve the new language for Article 5 (section 1399.451) as provided in the materials, then to submit the package to the director of the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency for review. The motion also authorized the executive officer to make non-substantive edits and to proceed with rulemaking steps, including setting the matter for a hearing if requested. The motion passed on a roll call vote (all members voting yes).
Public commenters raised technical and clinical questions about relative merits of alcohol rubs versus soap and water and noted patients’ sensitivities to frequent alcohol use on skin; staff emphasized the regulation continues to allow soap-and-water handwashing when hands are visibly soiled and that gloves remain an available option in clinical practice. The regulation package will be circulated through the formal state review process; staff said it aligned the board’s language with CDC/CDPH positions intended to reduce health care–associated infections.
