Evaluation of the bactericidal efficacy of hand rubs prepared in accordance with a formula improved from Formula I recommended by the World Health Organization

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate the bactericidal efficacy of liquid and gel hand rubs prepared in accordance with a formula improved from Formula I recommended by the World Health Organization (improved Formula I). With respect to the European standard EN 1500, the bactericidal efficacy of these hand rubs was compared with a reference hand rub (isopropanol 60%) by testing on 21 volunteers. The results showed that liquid, gel, and reference hand rubs
reduced the number of bacteria on volunteers’ hands by 99.98%, 99.98%, and 99.97%, respectively, corresponding to a reduction in density of bacteria were 4.22 ± 0.61, 3.97 ± 0.57, and 3.81 ± 0.60 log unit, respectively. Analysis results by Test for non-inferiority indicated that both liquid and gel hand rubs were not inferior in bactericidal effectiveness when compared to the reference hand rub. The study showed that the liquid and gel hand rubs prepared in accordance with the improved Formula I both achieved bactericidal efficacy following the European standard EN 1500, so these hand rubs can be widely used for hand hygiene in the community as well as in the hospital.