A lot of us have this habit of using a hand sanitiser instantly every single time we think we've touched something unhygienic or unclean. Hand sanitisers are basically the solution that we use to keep our hands germ free. And it's very convenient to use these as they are available in comfortable sizes. All we do is rub a blob into our hands and that's about it. But what if we tell you that's a wrong way to use your hand sanitiser?
You read that right. A study says that the gel only does its job when you apply it for 15 seconds. This might sound unnecessary but it actually is a lot easier than the advice made by World Health Organization that demands us to use sanitisers for 30 seconds in a six-step routine.
This research was made by Dr Sarah Tschudin-Sutter of the department of infectiology and hospital hygiene, University Hospital Basel.
Keeping hand hygiene is very important as we tend to use them the most and if we don't we're prone to diseases and infections, says the scientists.
It's a 'preferred route' and is considered to be the 'faster, more effective and better tolerated than washing with soap and water' as said by WHO.
Although, WHO recommends using an alcohol-based product for almost 20-30 seconds, which has shown poor adherence.
The WHO recommends rubbing an alcohol-based product in for 20-to-30 seconds, however, adherence to this has been shown to be poor.
Once you use the hand sanitiser and your hands are dry, they're safe and hygienic. Says the researchers that just 15 seconds are effective enough to reduce bacterial counts than the 30 seconds process. But even these 15 seconds might sound a lot to almost all of us but what needs to be done should be done.
Healthcare workers should be happy with this finding as Dr Tschudin-Sutter says, "The time pressure and heavy workload experienced by healthcare workers reduces compliance with hand hygiene standards. Our findings suggest shortening hand rubbing time and simplifying the technique for use of hand rub could be a safe alternative that is easier to fit into their busy routine, could enhance the overall quality of hand hygiene performance, and have a positive effect on adherence."
However, a different result may occur in a different clinical setting as the study was carried out in a laboratory says researchers. Also, one very important thing to note is that hand sanitisers only reduces bacteria and not viruses.
