Hand Sanitizer an Alternative to Hand Washing—A Review of Literature

Abstract

Aim: COVID-19 is a new illness and a big threat to global health. No specific antiviral agents are available for its treatment. The finest approach to manage this threat is to clean our hands properly. Washing hands under running water is a better way to stop the spread of infections than using a hand sanitizer. The aim of the study is to show that washing hands is efficacious than using a dab of alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Materials and methods: A search was performed using three databases, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar published from 2010 to 2019. The keywords for the survey were “hand-washing,” “hand sanitizer,” and “effective.” After the relevant articles were found, the critical appraisal was made to select those that were suitable for the systematic review. The inclusion criteria of the study were surveys, clinical studies, no sample size restrictions, and only English papers. Any conference abstracts, case reports, and unpublished data were excluded from this study. Results: On the basis of the keywords, 22 relevant articles were found, and of those, 17 articles were selected for the systematic review. Conclusion: This study evaluated that washing hands with soap and water are more practical and efficacious than using the sanitizer on greasy and soiled hands. An alcohol-based sanitizer, if used correctly and in appropriate volume, can disseminate certain type of micro-organisms.

Efficacy of Liquid Soap and Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitisers in Eradicating Viable Conidia of the Mushroom Pathogen Lecanicillium fungicola on Contaminated Hands

“…This level of reduction would be virtually ineffective with respect to eliminating L. fungicola contamination on mushroom farms, as there would still be a high load of conidia on contaminated hands after washing that would facilitate the spread of L. fungicola around the farm, contaminating any surfaces that individuals came in contact with, including equipment, door handles, canteen areas and washrooms. Hand washing with soap is known to be very effective in eliminating certain human viruses and bacteria [9][10][11][12], so it is still an important aspect of hand hygiene in workplaces.…”

“…Jabbar et al [10] reported that hand washing with soap and water is more effective than ABHSs at removing the resilient spores of the bacterium Clostridium difficile from hands. More recently, Singh et al [11] reviewed the literature on hand sanitisers and hand washing in relation to COVID-19 hand hygiene and found that ABHSs were less effective if hands were greasy or soiled and that hand washing with soap and water was more efficacious and convenient. At a practical level, Leslie et al [12] found that two commercial ABHSs gave a log 10 reduction of >3 for SARS-CoV-2.…”

Edukasi Etika Batuk, Bersin Dan Cuci Tangan Pakai Sabun Untuk Pencegahan Penularan Covid-19 Pada Siswa-Siswi

“…Walaupun demikian cara terbaik untuk membersihkan tangan yaitu dengan mencuci tangan dengan air dan sabun. Studi literatur menemukan bahwa mencuci tangan dengan air dan sabun lebih praktis dan efektif untuk pencegahan COVID-19 daripada menggunakan hand sanitizer pada tangan yang berminyak dan kotor (Nakoe et al, 2020;Singh et al, 2020).…”

COVID-19: Prosthodontic Challenges and Opportunities in Dental Practice

“…Hands should be washed properly, and the use of hand sanitizer should be considered. 14 The appropriate follow-up should be done for the patients. It is necessary to do the risk assessments for COVID-19 for all clinic staff.…”