engleski

User experience when using a water based hand sanitising mousse in place of alcohol rubs in a hospital setting

Introduction: Alcohol hand rubs (containing 60 - 70% ethanol / IPA) are not without their problems which can include ; • environmental (facility) damage, • flammability, • dryness (xerosis) / dermatitis, • oxicity (ingestion can be fatal). Alcohol free hand rubs offering equivalent antimicrobial performance (in terms of EN test standards) are now available which overcome many of the above drawbacks associated with alcohol rubs. World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on hand hygiene in healthcare state that ‘…pilot studies aiming to help select [hand hygiene] products at the local level should mainly concentrate on tolerance and user acceptability issues’. Evaluation aim: To determine ‘user acceptability’ of a water based hand sanitising mousse when used in a busy hospital microbiology laboratory setting. Methodology: A formal two week product evaluation was undertaken using a water based hand sanitising mousse in place of the normal alcohol hand rub. User feedback was via structured questionnaires upon completion of the evaluation. Results: One hundred staff members completed questionnaires. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive in favour of the water based hand mousse (Table 1) ; Table 1. Summary of user feedback ; Water Alcohol No view based Most effective product? 60 14 26 Kindest to your skin? 83 7 10 Which did you prefer? 71 15 14 Easiest to use? 77 7 16 Discussion / conclusion: This evaluation demonstrates a clear preference for water based hand sanitation compared to alcohol hand rub. With WHO guidelines stating ‘tolerance’ and ‘user acceptability’ should play key roles in product selection the adoption of water based (alcohol free) hand rubs are worthy of serious consideration.

alcohol; hand rub; user experience

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