A study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection examined the effectiveness of hand wipes for patients.
Researchers developed a methodology based on European Standards EN 1499 and EN 1500. Twenty healthy volunteers had their hands contaminated artificially by immersion in Escherichia coli. Researchers sampled their hands before and after the use of soap and water or hand wipes for one minute.
The study shows the antimicrobial hand wipe was statistically non-inferior to the soft soap. However, a hand wipe with no antimicrobial agent was inferior to soap and water.
Thus, the use of an antimicrobial hand wipe for one minute represents "an acceptable alternative to handwashing from a bactericidal perspective," study authors concluded.