HAND HYGIENE Promoting good habits (continued from page 31) itself is out of reach for the child,” she said. “And refilling some dispensers requires a degree of dexterity for the cleaner. “In these types of scenarios, access to hygiene can prove troublesome or be slowed down - and this could have an impact on other users and their hygiene, comfort and experience of the facility.”
Good flow essential
practised, says Edwardes. “Ensuring that the dispenser is easily accessible and visible to everyone is crucial,” he said. “It should also be placed conveniently away from the sinks to allow ample space for people to use it while others are washing their hands. “And the design of the dispenser can help to encourage usage and contribute to a positive user experience.” The goal is not to speed up hand hygiene but to make it easier for people to participate in the process, says Kimberly-Clark Professional product technical leader Stephanie Martin. “The right products should be conveniently located at the point of use and there should be a sufficient supply to support the number of people in the facility,” she said. “It’s hard to wash your hands correctly when key items such as hand soap are out of stock. And having to wait for a sink or an air dryer may also discourage people from washing their hands if they have limited time.” Washroom managers need to be vigilant about checking product levels while also ensuring all products and dispensers are clean and sanitary, she said. “Soap and hand sanitiser solutions should be nonirritating and any fragrances used should be mild to minimise the chance of skin reactions,” she added. “And hand sanitiser dispensers should be placed in easily accessible, common areas such as near lifts, offices, in hallways, in break rooms and near entrances and exits. Pourrait-on concevoir un système d’hygiène des mains susceptible d’induire à une amélioration des pratiques dans ce domaine ? L’utilisateur peut-il y être encouragé au moyen d’appareils d’utilisation simple, intuitive et rapide ? En outre, que doivent faire les fabricants pour promouvoir une amélioration des pratiques de lavage des mains dans des contextes critiques ?
32 | November 2023 | ECJ
“Also, helping people to better understand the basics of good hand hygiene can help to encourage compliance.” Common sense needs to be employed when choosing the location of hand hygiene dispensers, according to Martin. “Factors to consider include traffic, height convenience and the proximity to sinks when it comes to soap and towel dispensers,” she said. “For example, someone with wet hands could drip water on to the floor and create a slip hazard if they have to move any distance from the sink to the hand drying facilities.
Minimise barriers “And locating hand sanitiser stands throughout a building will also encourage regular hand hygiene, even when people are not using the washroom.” Any barriers to optimum hand hygiene practices need to be minimised, according to Essity’s communications director Jenny Turner. “To eliminate barriers to good hand hygiene we need to ensure all products are easy to use and refill and are accessible to everyone,” she said. “For example they should be mounted within reach of people of all heights and any communication they display should be readable and inclusive.” Hygiene systems need to be designed with a clear understanding of the end-user’s needs, she says. “For example, it is not ideal if a parent has only one hand available when lifting a child to help them wash their hands – particularly if the dispenser Kann ein spezifisches Handhygienesystem dazu beitragen, die Handwäsche zu verbessern? Reagieren Endbenutzer besser auf Produkte, die einfach und intuitiv zu bedienen sind und beispielsweise den Ablauf beschleunigen? Und wie können Handhygieneunternehmen ihre Produkte und Systeme einsetzen, um bessere Handhygienepraktiken in kritischen Bereichen zu fördern?
A good washroom flow will encourage optimal hygiene practices, according to Turner. “Jet air dryers, for example, can service only one person at a time and they take 10 or more seconds per person,” she said. “As a result, some users may choose to walk away before their hands are completely dry while others may decide not to dry their hands at all because they feel the air dryers take too long. And this will increase the risk of cross-contamination.” High quality, effective and user-friendly products will all help to support good hand hygiene practices, she said. “Where frequent hand washing is required, soft paper hand towels and mild soaps with allergyfriendly formulas will help to encourage compliance. And specialist products can help to improve people’s practices in specific environments.” As an example she cites Tork Odour Control Soap which is designed for use in professional kitchens. This is said to be kind to skin while also helping to remove pungent odours from the hands without adding any fragrance. Tork dispensers for foam and liquid soaps have been certified by the Swedish Rheumatism Association as being easy to use for children, the elderly and people with limited hand function, while the Tork PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel dispenser requires a low pull force and allows a towel to be taken out in three seconds. According to Turner, it is not sufficient to simply tell people hand hygiene is important in order to cause a behavioural change. “Significant change can only be produced with the aid of a deliberate programme combining several elements including the right tools for the task; education on the need for hand hygiene and visual reminders such as signage,” she said. “A new habit takes time to form, and it needs to be continually reinforced.” Può un sistema specifico per l’igiene delle mani aiutare a incoraggiare delle abitudini migliori di lavaggio delle mani? Gli utenti finali rispondono meglio ai prodotti facili e intuitivi da usare e ciò facilita il procedimento, per esempio? E come possono le imprese di prodotti per l’igiene delle mani impiegare i loro prodotti e sistemi per promuovere delle migliori pratiche di igiene delle mani in situazioni critiche?
