Hand Hygiene is Here to Stay
One of several things the pandemic made clear was the importance of hand hygiene and infection prevention best practices. Experts globally, from the World Health Organization (WHO) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), strongly agree that promoting – and practicing – good hand hygiene is an effective way to wash away or kill germs that may cause illness. According to a survey by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) conducted in March 2020 and again in September 2021, 93% of those surveyed said they are more likely to continue their hand hygiene habits in the coming months than any other health measures, including wearing a mask or social distancing1.
Hand Sanitizers: Improved Efficacy with Repeated Use
All hand sanitizers are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as over-the-counter drugs. The FDA’s 1994 Healthcare Topical Antiseptics Tentative Final Monograph (TFM) states hand sanitizers used in healthcare settings must pass two types of efficacy tests – an in vitro test to demonstrate the broad-spectrum antibacterial characteristic and an in vivo test demonstrating effectiveness on hands. The in vivo test is a standardized method and called the Healthcare Personnel Handwash Test (HCPHW). The TFM mandates hand sanitizers achieve a specific bacterial reduction on hands after one use and another benchmark of bacterial reduction with repeated use. FDA stated that after one use or application, a hand sanitizer must reduce bacteria by 99% and the sanitizer must reduce the bacterial load by 99.9% at the 10th application.
Another pandemic lesson – not all hand sanitizers are created equal. Some products lose efficacy the more times you consecutively apply them2. This happens when ingredients build up on hands and inhibit the sanitizer from effectively killing bacteria and achieving HCPHW efficacy. When using hand sanitizers, the ideal state is for efficacy to increase with repeated use, or simply maintain efficacy levels – never decrease. This is especially true for healthcare workers (HCW), who may use hand sanitizer upwards of 100 times in a single shift!
Formulation Counts
In addition to efficacy, how the product feels to HCW during use (aesthetics) and the impact that product has on skin health. While efficacy is a critical mandate, if the sanitizer smells, is sticky or slimy during use, or if it is poorly formulated and negatively impacts HCW skin condition – they will not want to use it. If HCW don’t use the hand sanitizer, then what good is it? Achieving the required HCPHW test efficacy, with a product that promotes good skin health and is preferred by HCW should be the goal of every healthcare hand sanitizer.
GOJO Has Led the Way
For more than 30 years GOJO has carefully formulated and tested its proprietary hand sanitizers to kill germs, be gentle on skin, have a great user experience, and be safe to use. It took a relentless focus on industry-shaping science based on evidence to develop and improve the category of instant hand sanitizers. Today, GOJO is the global leader in healthy skin and healthy places, and PURELL® is America’s #1 Hand Sanitizer3 with the PURELL® brand recognized as a symbol of safety and efficacy, providing powerful peace of mind. These efforts combine to help keep HCW, patients, residents, and visitors safe.
1 www.cleaninginstitute.org/newsroom/releases/2021/survey-americans-still-give-thumbs-handwashing
2 www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/index.html
3 52 Week IRI Data ending April 2018; 2017 HPIS Data; Hall & Partners, September 2017 Brand Survey.