Rapid preparation of hand sanitizer using WHO formulation in hospital settings during restricted supply due to COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Good hand hygiene practices include cleaning of hands either by handwash or by hand rub. In healthcare settings, it is not easy to wash hands with soap after seeing each patient and is time-consuming as doctors are already working overtime. Hence, in hospital settings, it is also recommended to use alcohol-based hand sanitizers that can rapidly kill microorganisms, which spread various contagious diseases. Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, the demand for essential commodities such as hand sanitizer, masks, etc., increased and hampered the hospital supplies. To address the shortage and limited supply of hand sanitizers to the various medical and paramedical departments of a tertiary hospital, the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health in coordination with the Pharmacology and Medical Microbiology Department prepared hands sanitizers following the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The paper discusses the procedure that was followed for the preparation of hand sanitizer to meet the institutional demand and motivate others in similar settings to address the issue of restricted supply during the COVID-19 pandemic.