Clinical trial of Primel Active Hand Shield with residual activity compared with an alcohol-based hand sanitiser to measure the effectiveness on hand contamination and microbial transmission.

BACKGROUND

Contaminated hands are the major source of pathogen transmission in patients leading to healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).The aim of this trial was to assess the residual activity and reduction in transmission of Primel Active Hand Shield (PAHS) versus alcohol-based hand sanitiser (ABHS) in a hospital setting.

METHODS

Sampling of healthcare workers' (HCWs) hands was conducted before application, immediate and twice following a pre-defined residual period to determine both the immediate and residual activity. Microbial transmission from hands was also determined by HCWs touching a sterile surface.

FINDINGS: On immediate application, antimicrobial activity was similar for both PAHS (97.7% (confidence interval (CI) of 96.5-98.5%) and ABHS (96.8% (CI of 94.9-98.0%)). After the 1-h morning residual period, PAHS retained much of the immediate activity (91.4% (CI of 87.2-94.2%]) whilst ABHS declined after 15 min (77.9%(CI of 64.6-86.2%). Similar trends were observed after afternoon applications (PAHS, 92.1% (CI of 87.8-94.8%) vs ABHS, 68.4% (CI of 47.0-81.1%). Overall, antimicrobial activity on the hands of HCWs utilising PAHS was significantly higher (91%, P<0.03) compared with ABHS, despite fewer applications of PAHS vs ABHS (average 2 vs 5, P<0.01). On average, HCWs using ABHS transferred approximately twice as many microbes (P<0.03) to a sterile surface in comparison with those using PAHS.

CONCLUSION

These findings show that use of PAHS can reduce microbial contamination on hands despite fewer applications and is less likely to lead to microbial transfer. This addresses the key limitations of ABHS and suggests that use of PAHS has the potential to prevent HCAIs that persist despite current ABHS-based practise.