Maintaining hand hygiene is critical to reducing infection levels among healthcare workersand thepublic. If the right precautions are not observed, the risks of infection andcross-contaminationincreases in healthcare settings. Compliance with hand hygiene recommendations is vital in these settings and using hand sanitizers helps reduce these risks.
Alcohol in Sanitizers
When there is no access to water and soap, just using hand sanitizers can help maintain hygiene and break the transmission of germs and infectious diseases. Experts recommend using at least a 70% alcohol-basedhandsanitizerwhich ishighly effective in killing bacteria and viruses. The higher the percentage of alcohol, the better the sanitizer.
Infectious disease experts recommend using alcohol-based sanitizersbecause of how it destroys bacteria and viruses.These types of microorganismshave a lipid based or oil basedouter coating. Alcohol breaks apart the lipid coatings, killing the microorganisms.
Effective Use of Hand Sanitizers
While the use of hand sanitizers is recommendedfor everyone, after the COVID-19 pandemic, itsuse in healthcare settings has been quite critical. Poor hand hygiene is linked to many postpartum infections and cross-contaminations among healthcare workers as well as patients.
The regular use of hand sanitizers can significantly reduce the chances of contamination, if used correctly.Effective use one must applythe amount of hand sanitizerspecified on the label and rub thoroughly all over the hands including between fingers, on and around nails and nailbeds until the sanitizer is fully absorbed and hands are dry.
In case of visibly dirty hands, use of soap and water is the #1 recommendationfor effective hand hygiene practices.
High concentrations of alcohol in hand sanitizers can leave the skin dry and irritated. To counter this problem, many hand sanitizers also contain moisturizing compounds. As the alcohol dries while rubbing it onto hands, the soothing, moisturizing compounds remain to nourish the skin.