Sterillium Comfort Gel Hand Antiseptic
Hu-Friedy
Sterillium® Comfort Gel? is a scientifically proven germ-killing hand antiseptic that moisturizes and prevents dryness.
Hu-Friedy?s Hand Essentials line of hand care products is designed to disinfect and moisturize hands in a way that will increase compliance with hand hygiene protocols. As many dental professionals have experienced, the frequent hand washing that is required for proper infection control can lead to dry and sometimes painful skin.
According to Hu-Friedy, Sterillium Comfort Gel hand antiseptic, one of the many products available in the Hand Essentials line, not only kills more than 99.999% of a broad range of nosocomial pathogens within 15 seconds1, but also is nonirritating and moisturizing. When Sterillium Comfort Gel was tested for dermal tolerance, researchers concluded that it did not demonstrate a clinically relevant potential for dermal irritation or sensitivity. On the contrary, the study found that the gel significantly increased skin hydration after repeated use and would therefore enhance compliance with hygiene among healthcare workers.2
In this Dental Product Shopper evaluation, dentists, assistants, and hygienists used Sterillium Comfort Gel in their practices for 4 weeks. They then rated and commented on features such as prevention of skin dryness, moisturizing ability, feel on the hands, and ease of donning gloves.
Dry Skin Prevention
In an independent study, Sterillium Comfort Gel was found to increase skin hydration by 14% after 2 weeks of use. When the Dental Product Shopper evaluators were asked to rate Sterillium Comfort Gel on its ability to prevent skin dryness, 8 evaluators rated it as excellent, 4 rated it as very good, and 1 rated it as good. The evaluators were also asked to rate the gel?s ability to moisturize hands. Seven rated the product as excellent, 3 rated it as very good, and 3 rated it as good.
An assistant from Arkansas with 20 years of experience said, ?My favorite thing about this product is how soft it makes your hands feel.? This same evaluator said she would definitely recommend Sterillium Comfort Gel to colleagues and gave it an overall satisfaction rating of excellent. Another evaluator, with 16 years of experience, described her favorite product feature as ?the moisturizing effects on my hands from day in and day out use.?
Feel on Hands and Ease of Donning Gloves
Sterillium Comfort Gel is an ethanolbased antiseptic that is described by the manufacturer as nonsticky and compatible with both latex and nonlatex gloves.
With regard to feel on their hands, 9 evaluators rated Sterillium Comfort Gel as excellent, 3 rated it as very good, and 3 rated it as good. A hygienist from Florida who has been in practice for 13 years said, ?It dries very quickly, doesn?t leave any type of sticky residue, and it keeps your hands feeling quite soft.? Another evaluator said her favorite feature of the gel is its ?non-greasy feel.?
When asked about compatibility with latex, 6 evaluators rated it as excellent, 4 rated it as very good, 2 rated it as good, and 1 did not rate this feature.
Overall Satisfaction
When asked what they would like to see improved about this product, 6 evaluators said that there was nothing they felt needed improvement. Three evaluators indicated that they would like the fragrance to be less antiseptic.
Eleven evaluators said that they found Sterillium Comfort Gel to be much better than similar products and 10 would definitely recommend it to colleagues. When asked to give their overall satisfaction rating, 10 rated it as excellent, and 3 rated it as very good.
A dentist from Colorado said, ?The neutral fragrance and rapid dry time of this gel make it one of the best products in its class.? A hygienist evaluator from North Carolina who gave Sterillium Comfort Gel an overall satisfaction rating of excellent said, ?I like this product so much that I had a few of the doctors try a pump or 2 when they came into my room to do hygiene checks.? She went on to say that she felt Sterillium Comfort Gel is much better than similar products and that she would definitely recommend it to colleagues.
References
1. Data on file.
2. Kampf G, Muscatiello M, Segger, et al. Dermal tolerance and effect on skin hydration of an improved ethanol-based hand gel. Int J Infect Control. 2009; v5:il doi:10.3396/ijic.v5il.003.09.
Sterillium Comfort Gel is a registered trademark of Bode Chemie GmbH Co.
