Delivering effective infection prevention is a crucial task for healthcare professionals worldwide, with one of the pivotal practices being hand hygiene. It’s increasingly apparent that this conversation must go beyond merely ‘when’ to sanitize hands but also take into account the dosage of product needed for effective infection control. A crucial factor often overlooked in healthcare settings, the correct dosage of hand hygiene products can significantly impact patient safety and adherence to cleanliness protocols.
Our exploration of this topic draws on insights from James W. Arbogast, Ph.D., a hand hygiene expert and scientific consultant for SC Johnson Professional, who emphasizes the role of hand sanitization in breaking the ‘chain of infection’. This chain illustrates how rapidly pathogens spread in healthcare environments, showing how a care worker with improperly sanitized hands can inadvertently contribute to the spread of infection.
Hand sanitizers, quick and effective in eliminating a broad range of germs, aid in compliance with hygiene protocols. However, it is not enough to merely pump a bit of sanitizer: the dose size matters significantly. Insufficient dosing (less than 1.5 mL) can leave hand surfaces untreated, providing an opportunity for germs to survive and spread. Technologies like the OPTIDOSE™ system from SC Johnson Professional, which delivers an optimal 1.5 mL of hand sanitizer, aids in assuring ideal hygienic conditions.
The World Health Organization’s 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene provides an effective framework, underscoring the correct dosing in these key moments, particularly when it comes to patient safety and environmental contamination.
When choosing hand sanitization products, Arbogast advises that infection preventionists consider real-world efficacy data and bear in mind user acceptability and tolerability. These include factors such as comfort, irritation, or dryness which could hamper usage and compliance.
Furthermore, it is imperative to implement practices such as thermal imaging, which can identify areas where sanitizer coverage is incomplete. This technology can supplement direct observation, turning hand hygiene compliance into a tangible, teachable skill.
In conclusion, the imperative for infection preventionists is to educate healthcare workers about the right product, dose, moment, and technique for effective hand hygiene. Dose size needs to become a central concern in infection prevention, along with the deployment of technologies such as thermal imaging, all working towards the shared goal of combating health care–associated infections.