Effectiveness of alcoholic hand disinfectants in a public administration
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN96340690 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN96340690 |
| Protocol serial number | N/A |
| Sponsor | Bode Chemie GmbH (Germany) |
| Funder | Bode Chemie GmbH (Germany) - provided hand disinfectant free of charge |
- Submission date
- 23/03/2010
- Registration date
- 12/04/2010
- Last edited
- 29/12/2020
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Respiratory
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data
Plain English summary of protocol
Not provided at time of registration
Contact information
Dr Nils-Olaf Hübner
Scientific
Scientific
Rathenaustr. 49a
Biotechnikum
Greifswald
17489
Germany
| nhuebner@uni-greifswald.de |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Prospective controlled intervention-control group design |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Effectiveness of alcoholic hand disinfectants in a public administration: impact on health and work performance related to acute respiratory symptoms and diarrhoea |
| Study objectives | 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(s) | Ethics Board of the Medical Faculty of the University of Greifswald approved on the 27th January 2010 (ref: BB02/10) |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | 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 |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
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. |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
Participants filled out a post-study survey to assess post-intervention compliance with hand hygiene. |
| Completion date | 01/04/2006 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 850 |
| Key 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. |
| Key exclusion criteria | Officers who already use alcoholic hand disinfection |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/03/2005 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/04/2006 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Germany
Study participating centre
Rathenaustr. 49a
Greifswald
17489
Germany
17489
Germany
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not provided at time of registration |
| IPD sharing plan |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 24/08/2010 | 29/12/2020 | Yes | No |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
29/12/2020: Publication reference added.
