Hand hygiene: product preference and compliance
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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

A Method to Test the Efficacy of Handwashing for the Removal of Emerging Infectious Pathogens
Published on: June 7, 2017
Judith Tanner1, Neetesh Mistry
1De Montfort University and University Hospitals of Leicester Trust.
Background:
Hospitals are trying to improve patient hand hygiene by providing handwashing products at the bedside. Patients' compliance with handwashing depends on their satisfaction with hygiene products but no one has looked at which products patients prefer. Research on this will help hospitals target hand hygiene more appropriately and effectively.
Aim:
To explore patient satisfaction with hand hygiene products and identify those that are most popular.
Method:
Two hundred patients were given five hand hygiene products to evaluate. These represent the interventions most widely used by patients in hospitals: alcohol foams, alcohol wipes, wet cloths with antiseptic solutions, bowls of soapy water and mobile sinks.
Results:
Alcohol foam achieved the highest mean satisfaction score and was significantly more popular than the other products.
Conclusion:
Alcohol foam was the most popular choice regardless of age, sex, dexterity, mobility and religion.
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