Healthcare practioners may not be using the right amount of hand sanitiser, or letting it dry on their hands long enough, to achieve maximum protection, a recent study suggests.

Researchers did lab tests to see how long different amounts of gel and foam versions of alcohol-based hand sanitiser took to dry on nine volunteers’ hands.

In the test of 0.75mL, 1.5mL, 2.25mL and 3mL dollops, smaller amounts of sanitiser sometimes dried within the 20-30-second time frame recommended by the WHO for optimal effectiveness.

Yet none of the products dried that fast when the largest amounts were used.