Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Ms Sue Roberts
ORCID ID
Contact details
Pathology Department
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital
St Peter's Road
Margate
CT9 4AN
United Kingdom
+44 (0)1843 225544 ex 62305
Sue.roberts@ekht.nhs.uk
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
N0514150910
Study information
Scientific title
An investigation into hand decontamination
Acronym
Study hypothesis
The aim of this study is to assess the effect of two interventions to promote the use of alcohol hand rub as the routine method for hand hygiene rather than hand washing and to explore reasons for non-compliance through the use of a questionnaire based survey.
Ethics approval
Not provided at time of registration
Study design
Randomised controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised controlled trial
Trial setting
Hospitals
Trial type
Prevention
Patient information sheet
Condition
Hand decontamination
Intervention
The study will involve clinical hospital staff and run concurrently on four surgical wards: an elective orthopaedic ward, an elderly trauma/orthopaedic ward, a male general surgical ward and a female general surgical ward. Surgical wards were chosen as they have been identified as high risk areas for infection in view of the infection susceptibility of patients with wounds and invasive devices, urinary catheters and intravenous infusions.
Each ward would act as its own control and be randomly assigned to an intervention as follows:
1. Ward one intervention - a comprehensive education package on the use of the existing alcohol hand rub.
2. Ward two intervention - a comprehensive education package as above and the provision of personal alcohol hand rub dispensers (same product) (the normal available alcohol hand rub at the end of the bed, wall mounted etc will remain).
3. Ward three intervention - the provision of personal alcohol hand rub dispensers.
4. Ward four - no intervention.
Alcohol hand rub (all presentations) will be monitored throughout the period study (12233 ks) to assess amount used by weighing at set intervals. A wash out period will be allowed at the beginning of the study to allow staff to get used to the fact that alcohol hand rub is being routinely weighed.
In addition, an anonymous questionnaire will be issued to all participants before and after the interventions, including the ward where there is no intervention. The first questionnaire will address the issues of the participants' perceived compliance/product knowledge of alcohol usage at baseline. The second questionnaire will be issued following the interventions, to assess again the same issues. However, the second questionnaire will contain additional questions concerning the experience of using a personal dispenser. The likert scale will be used. All healthcare workers likely to be working on the wards for the duration of the study will be invited to participate.
Intervention type
Other
Phase
Not Specified
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
To assess whether personal dispensers and/or education improve hand hygiene compliance by measuring alcohol hand rub usage and evaluating the pre- and post- intervention questionnaires.
Secondary outcome measures
Not provided at time of registration
Overall trial start date
09/08/2004
Overall trial end date
15/11/2004
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. All healthcare workers likely to be working on the ward for the duration of the study will be invited to participate. This will include members of staff such as nurses, medical staff (consultant staff junior doctors) healthcare assistants, ancillary staff eg physiotherapists, occupational therapists. The medical staff participating in the study will either be working as part of the surgical team or the orthopaedic team on the relevant wards, they may also visit patients on other wards but this is likely to be roughly equal for each group participating.
2. Each potential participant will be identified by the ward managers and letter from the researcher inviting them to participate in the study.
Participant type
Patient
Age group
Adult
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
184 participants (in four surgical wards)
Participant exclusion criteria
Not provided at time of registration
Recruitment start date
09/08/2004
Recruitment end date
15/11/2004
Locations
Countries of recruitment
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
Pathology Department
Margate
CT9 4AN
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Organisation
Department of Health
Sponsor details
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2NL
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7307 2622
dhmail@doh.gsi.org.uk
Sponsor type
Government
Website
Funders
Funder type
Government
Funder name
East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust (UK) NHS R&D Support Funding
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