Multi-centre cross sectional observational study of hand preference for perineal hygiene: An essential question in upper limb surgery

Hand preference for perineal hygiene is not a commonly recorded data unlike hand dominance. Ability to reach the perineum is essential for a good functional outcome. There is no evidence in orthopaedic literature regarding its variability. The aim of this study was to examine hand preference for perineal hygiene in a cohort of hospital staff and enumerate possible factors that may associate with this preference. One hundred hospital staff in two NHS hospitals were asked questions regarding dominance of hand and hand preference for personal hygiene, ethnicity and gender. They were also asked which hand they thought others used for perineal hygiene. Data was analysed using Fischer exact and Chi² tests. The most common ethnicity was British (64%). Male/female ratio was 56/44; 88 participants were right hand dominant; 71.8% of British ethnicity used the right hand and 81.25% of South Asians used the left hand for perineal hygiene. There was a significant correlation between hand preference and ethnicity (P<0.001) but not with gender (P=0.402) or hand dominance (P=0.063). There is a significant variation in hand preference for personal hygiene between different groups. The common assumption is that the hand used by others is the same as that used by the participant. Documentation of this hand preference is important while planning procedures like wrist or elbow arthrodesis and for the analysis of the functional outcome of other upper limb procedures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.