Hand hygiene: product preference and compliance.

Hospitals are trying to improve patient hand hygiene by providing hnadwashing 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 acheived the highest mean satisfction 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.