wash their hands frequently. For example, Tork Foam Soap comes in a Sensitive version which is particularly kind to the hands, while Tork Matic Soft Hand Towel Rolls are soft, absorbent and gentle on the skin.
The provision of a fragrance-free conditioning cream such as Tork Sensitive Moisturising Hand Cream will further help to prevent chapping and soreness when used after hand washing.
Besides being skin-friendly, all hand hygiene products should be intuitive to use and accessible at all times to facilitate the process for over-stretched healthcare workers. The dispenser for Tork Foam Soap is ideal for healthcare use because it has been designed to be particularly easy to use, while each cartridge serves up to 1,650 people. This ensures a long-lasting supply and reduces the risk of the unit running out when a hand-wash is urgently needed.
All staff members also need to have ready access to hand sanitisers since these provide a quick and easy method of cleansing the hands. Tork Alcohol Hand Sanitisers are available in dispensers for general use as well as in smaller formats.
Hand hygiene training also needs to be offered to ensure that healthcare teams understand the importance of hand washing and are clear as to when it needs to take place.
A recent survey carried out by United Minds on behalf of Essity revealed that 80% of healthcare professionals were keen to improve their hand hygiene compliance. Around 60% of the 1,000-plus staff members polled said they would like hand hygiene to be given a higher priority in their unit. And most added that they found most traditional training modules uninspiring.
At Essity we provide our own hand hygiene instruction module in the form of Tork Clean Hands Training. This invites users into a digital world where they are confronted with a series of scenarios in which hand hygiene needs to take place. Developed in collaboration with behavioural
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scientists and hand hygiene experts, the course aims to provide hand hygiene guidance in an engaging way.
Trainees take on the role of a nurse or doctor in a hospital unit where they are tasked with caring for several patients. Their results are then assessed on how far they comply with the World Health Organization’s (WHOs) My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. Tork Clean Hands Training is accessible free of charge online via any electronic device and is also available in a virtual reality format.
Surface cleaning in healthcare is also paramount since infections can easily be spread via surfaces. And again, cleaning teams need to be taught how to effectively clean all patient areas in the most logical and hygienic way possible.
Essity’s Tork Interactive Clean Hospital Training takes staff through various real-world cleaning scenarios, incorporating modules on daily cleaning in occupied patient rooms as well as discharge cleaning protocols.
The cleaner’s knowledge of high-touch surfaces is tested and various tips and tricks are provided. Operatives are also instructed in the correct cleaning procedures such as the need to work from high to low and to use different cloths for each type of task to reduce the risk of micro- organism transmission.
In 2025 it was announced that the UK had approved gepotidacin, a new antibiotic designed to fight urinary tract infections. This was the first such antibiotic to have been given the green light in nearly 30 years.
This spells positive news for us all - but more work is required to keep up the momentum, invest in more medicines and to begin to share learnings with other nations since superbugs will inevitably cross borders.
Hopefully governments will continue to develop new, more effective medications. But in the meantime, scrupulous cleaning regimes and optimum hand hygiene will help to keep vulnerable hospital patients safe.
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