Hand it to Hygiene
Your customers may understand the importance of good hand hygiene. But, that doesn’t mean they always adhere to it.
What you can’t see can hurt you. Nevertheless, it’s not unheard of for a dentist or hygienist to remove his or her gloves without following up with a thorough handwashing. Dental practices are not governed by the same hand hygiene guidelines as hospitals, nor do they have dedicated infection prevention specialists. So, even if the awareness is there, follow-through may be lacking.
"They understand that proper hand hygiene is important, but they don’t always understand when it’s the right time to wash [or sanitize] their hands and what products to use," says Tim Lorencovitz, product manager/infection control, Sultan Healthcare (Hackensack, NJ). "In 2009, the dental hand hygiene market was about $9 million – only a third of what it should be. Sales reps are missing an opportunity here."
Gels, foams and soaps
Two major types of organisms reside on the skin: resident, or everyday flora, and transient flora, or contaminants. "Hand hygiene" is a general term that refers to the removal of transient flora through handwashing, alcohol-based handrubs, antiseptic handwashes and surgical hand hygiene. Dental practices generally need both soap/water solutions and gels/foams. Although foams, gels and rubs do remove germs, they can leave soil behind. Soap and water loosen soil particles embedded in the skin.
Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that, whenever possible, healthcare providers should wash their hands for at least 15 seconds with an antimicrobial soap. In reality, though, many providers are overworked, coping with dry, irritated hands or unable to step away from sick patients, and they neglect to do so. For this reason, it is imperative for reps to offer dentists and their staffs a range of hand hygiene products, from soaps to alcohol-based gels and foams.
"Dental practices need products that can be used for 30 or 40 hand washes each day," says Lorencovitz. "If a product is not designed for frequent use and dries out the user’s hands, it won’t be used."
When it is not possible for dentists and their staff to properly wash their hands, experts recommend they use a sanitizer. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers contain anywhere from 60 to 95 percent alcohol, and 62 to 65 percent alcohol content is required to keep the hands moist enough for 12 to 15 seconds, which is necessary for the product to be effective. Non-alcohol hand sanitizers work just as well, according to Lorencovitz.
It makes sense that users prefer a pleasant-smelling hand sanitizer. Today’s hand sanitizers are said to contain better emollients (to help prevent skin dryness) and a greater variety of scents. "Really, the customer must try a product to see if they like its fragrance, how it feels on the skin and how well it will moisturize the skin," says Lorencovitz. Sanitizers are available in foams, gels and sprays, he says.
Soaps, gels and foams
Dentists and their staff should know that when it comes to selecting soaps, it pays to invest in the right product. So, while the office manager may find a great bargain at the local Target, Walmart or Costco, they may not be purchasing the most effective product. "Is the [discount] product good enough for the dental office setting?" says Lorencovitz. "Is it drying out the staff’s hands? Also, what’s the level of efficacy these products offer? Have they been tested for frequent use in a dental healthcare environment?"
There are four basic types of soap:
- Non-medicated soaps with no killing agents (offered over the counter).
- Antibacterial soaps (offered over the counter). These may contain some killing agents, but they are not considered strong enough for a medical environment.
- Antimicrobial soaps. These broad spectrum hand cleansers contain agents strong enough to kill microorganisms and are considered suitable for medical environments.
- Surgical scrubs. These products, which can be harsh on the hands, are designed to inhibit the growth of anything that may have been on the skin prior
to application.
Dental practices should have a supply of good liquid antimicrobial soap in pump bottles or other type of dispenser, notes Lorencovitz. And, it’s important for reps to show the staff how to refill low dispensers. "When the dental staff refills the dispensers, pouring new soap over a layer of old soap on the bottom of the dispenser, the old soap can become contaminated," he points out. "Sales reps should remind the dental staff to either thoroughly rinse out the old dispensers, replace them with new dispensers or purchase cartridge-based dispensers, in which the cartridge may be replaced." While traditional manual dispensers are still available, today dentists may purchase automatic (touch-free) dispensers, which sense the user’s hand and sprays soap.
How to sell
High-quality hand hygiene products range between $8 and $10 per bottle. If the customer objects to the price, the rep should remind him or her of the cost to the practice if a staff member is out sick. Dentists typically want to know that they, their patients and staff are protected.
Distributor reps should begin the selling process by asking their customers an open-ended question, such as, "What are you doing to protect you, your patients and staff from such infections as MRSA or influenza?" Some follow-up questions may include:
- "I see you are using these over-the-counter products. Are they designed for use by healthcare professionals who frequently wash their hands?"
- "Do you think the germs you find at your practice are different than those at home?"
- "How do your hands feel at the end of the day?"
Reps should approach this as "an overall hand care program," says Lorencovitz. For instance, they should explore whether their customers need gloves and hand lotions as well. "Everyone needs hand hygiene," he says. "But, it’s easy for reps and their customers to lose sight of this."
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