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6 Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com February 17–March 23, 2020 ON THE QUICK Nursing & Healthcare News FDA Squelches Hand Sanitizer Claims A warning to Purell A lthough the CDC still recommends alcohol-based hand sani- tizer for clinical hand hygiene, the FDA recently cautioned a leading manufacturer against making unsupported claims about their products' ability to prevent infection. Dispenser Panic For nurses, hand sanitizer is as much a part of the daily routine as alarm clocks and coffee. You might have been startled, therefore, by recent news stories implying that hand sanitizer doesn't protect against illnesses like influenza and norovirus. If you were concerned, you can breathe easier: Although the FDA did pull certain hand sanitiz- er ingredients off the market last year, the CDC's recommenda- tions on the clinical use of alco- hol-based hand sanitizers haven't changed. So, why all the fuss? On January 22, FDA Division of Pharmaceutical Quality Operations Director of Compliance Nicholas F. Lyons sent a letter to GOJO Industries Inc., which makes Purell hand sanitiz- ers, about making unsupported medical claims. Regulated as a Drug? Under federal law, products that claim to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure disease are drugs, which may not be marketed or sold without FDA approval. Makers of consumer products and supplements often flirt with these rules, implying that their products have health bene- fits while avoiding claims that would trigger an FDA response. In their January 22 letter, the FDA warned that recent Purell label- ing and marketing crossed that line. The letter quotes marketing copy asserting that Purell hand sanitizers "help eliminate MRSA & VRE"; that influenza viruses "are easily killed or inactivated by alcohol"; and that use of hand sanitizers can even reduce school absenteeism. Those claims, Lyons says, would make Purell hand sanitizer a new drug that has yet to receive FDA approval. To avoid federal penalties, GOJO says it will change its marketing and labeling copy to remove the claims. WN THE NURSING STATE OF THE NATION Latest RN demographics C urious about the demographics of nurses nationwide? HRSA's latest National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN) has the answers, which reveal some important trends in nursing education. Greater Diversity Although the NSSRN has been periodically survey- ing RNs across the country for more than 40 years, it's been over a decade since the last survey. During that time, HRSA estimates that the total number of licensed RNs in the U.S. has grown 29 percent, to almost 4 million. Of those, an estimated 82.5 percent are currently working in nursing. Since 2008, the national nursing workforce has become better educated and more diverse. About 26.7 percent of U.S. nurses are nurses of color, while about 9.6 percent are men. APRNs now account for 11.5 percent of the nursing workforce, a 42 percent increase (3.4 percentage points) from 2008. Education Trends The NSSRN results reveal that the era of the diplo- ma-prepared nurse is nearly over. Only 11.4 percent of respondents began their careers with a diploma and a mere 6.4 percent have only a diploma. However, only about 64 percent of RNs have a bachelor's or higher degree, well short of the Institute of Medicine's 80 percent target.. Noteworthy that almost one-fifth of U.S. nurses (19.4 percent) have graduate degrees. That greater educational attainment is paying off: The survey found that median fulltime income is over $26,000 more a year for RNs with master's or doc- toral degrees than for nurses without a graduate degree. Download the full survey results at bhw.hrsa.gov. WN For direct links to the websites cited, find these articles at WorkingNurse.com HAND SANITIZER remains "the pre- ferred method for cleaning your hands in most clinical situations," says the CDC.