Facts, figures, data and statistics on a critical product segment for distributor reps.
By Paul Girouard
Here’s a quick look at the whys, what’s and where’s of the hand hygiene product segment – and what makes this an important part of your business.
The numbers – In-demand with customers
The hand hygiene market exploded in 2020 and has since settled down to normal. Demand has currently grown double-digits above pre-pandemic levels.
500 million ounces of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) were sold into the healthcare market in 2023
80% of ABHR sold in 2023 was for dispensers – Good news, dispensers help protect your business!
Based on over 1 billion data points
in a variety of acute healthcare facilities over a 10-year period, 85% of usage tied to alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR), remaining 15% liquid soap
The healthcare hand hygiene market is driven by Acute Care, which represents 68%of sales for the category.
Balance of economics and skin health
Cost is often cited as an important consideration for choosing a hand hygiene product, but if you think about how many times healthcare workers clean their hands, the most important consideration for them is how the product feels when applied and how it impacts their skin. The people responsible for a hand hygiene program are often asked to balance efficacy, sensory perception, skin health and cost.
The market
The good and bad post pandemic
The pandemic made hand hygiene a globally understood method of preventing the spread of illness causing germs. But that intense focus also has made people tired of hearing about it. We need to ensure we effectively combat “hand hygiene fatigue” to help keep all healthcare facilities, staff, and the patients they care for safe.
Prioritizing hand hygiene at the highest leadership levels and making it a priority for managers of frontline healthcare workers and employing a multi-modal approach like the one outlined by the World Health Organization will help healthcare facilities build a successful compliance program over time.
Fun Fact No. 1
If the average healthcare worker cleans their hands 12 times per hour in a 12-hour shift, and they work three shifts per week, over the course a 30-year career, they will have cleaned their hands over 650,000 times. That’s a lot of hand hygiene!
Fun Fact No. 2
Research has found that you spread more germs by shaking someone’s hand than you do by kissing them.