Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Dr Nils-Olaf Hübner
ORCID ID
Contact details
Rathenaustr. 49a
Biotechnikum
Greifswald
17489
Germany
nhuebner@uni-greifswald.de
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
N/A
Study information
Scientific title
Effectiveness of alcoholic hand disinfectants in a public administration: impact on health and work performance related to acute respiratory symptoms and diarrhoea
Acronym
Study hypothesis
Large community studies in Europe and USA have shown that communicable diseases have a great impact on morbidity and lead to millions of lost days at work, school and university each year. Hand disinfection is acknowledged as key element for infection control, but its effect in open, work place settings is unclear. Our study assessed the epidemiological and economical impact of alcoholic hand disinfectants use at work place.
Ethics approval
Ethics Board of the Medical Faculty of the University of Greifswald approved on the 27th January 2010 (ref: BB02/10)
Study design
Prospective controlled intervention-control group design
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised controlled trial
Trial setting
Other
Trial type
Prevention
Patient information sheet
Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request a patient information sheet
Condition
Acute respiratory symptoms, diarrhoea
Intervention
Participants in the intervention group were instructed how to use the hand rub and advised to use it at least five times daily, especially after toilet use, blowing nose, before eating and after contact with ill colleges, customers, and archive material. The hand rub was only used at work, while hand hygiene at home was not changed. Hand hygiene remained unchanged in the control group. During the study, close contact was maintained with all participants.
Every participant was observed for 12 months.
Intervention type
Other
Phase
Not Applicable
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
Monthly surveys were sent to participants of both groups collecting data on illness symptoms (common cold, sinusitis, sore throat, fever, cough, bronchitis, pneumonia, influenza, diarrhoea) and associated absenteeism. Test persons reported illness and absenteeism days per month for each symptom. Appearance of at least one day ill was counted as an illness episode for the current month.
Secondary outcome measures
Participants filled out a post-study survey to assess post-intervention compliance with hand hygiene.
Overall trial start date
01/03/2005
Overall trial end date
01/04/2006
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
We recruited employees from the administration of the Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, the municipality of Greifswald and the state of Mecklenburg-Pomerania, for the study. All administrative officers, who do not already apply hand disinfection at work, were considered for participation.
Participant type
Patient
Age group
Adult
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
850
Participant exclusion criteria
Officers who already use alcoholic hand disinfection
Recruitment start date
01/03/2005
Recruitment end date
01/04/2006
Locations
Countries of recruitment
Germany
Trial participating centre
Rathenaustr. 49a
Greifswald
17489
Germany
Sponsor information
Organisation
Bode Chemie GmbH (Germany)
Sponsor details
Melanchthonstrasse 27
Hamburg
22525
Germany
guenter.kampf@bode-chemie.de
Sponsor type
Industry
Website
Funders
Funder type
Industry
Funder name
Bode Chemie GmbH (Germany) - provided hand disinfectant free of charge
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Not provided at time of registration
Intention to publish date
Participant level data
Not provided at time of registration
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list