Hand Hygiene Education Components Among First-Year Nursing Students: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial

Few studies have directly and objectively measured the individual and combined effects of multifaceted hand hygiene education programs.

To evaluate the individual and combined immediate effects of an instructional video and hand scan images on handwashing quality, decontamination, and knowledge improvement.

This cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted in June to July 2023 among first-year nursing students at a university in Hong Kong. The study used an intention-to-treat analysis.

Hand hygiene education sessions featuring an instructional video, hand scan images, or both.

The primary outcome was the change in residue from fluorescent lotion remaining on participants' hands after handwashing before and after the intervention. The secondary outcomes included handwashing quality and knowledge of hand hygiene.

A total of 270 of 280 students (mean [SD] age, 19 [1] years; 182 [67.4%] female) participated in the trial (96.4% participation rate). Participants were randomized to a control group (66 participants), hand scan image group (68 participants), instructional video group (67 participants), and hand scan image with instructional video group (69 participants). All intervention groups had greater reductions in residue after the intervention compared with the control group, although none reached statistical significance (hand scan image group: 3.9 [95% CI, 2.0-5.8] percentage points; instructional video group: 4.8 [95% CI, 2.9-6.7] percentage points; hand scan image with instructional video: 3.5 [95% CI, 1.6-5.4] percentage points; control group: 3.2 [95% CI, 1.3-5.2] percentage points). The instructional video group showed a significant improvement in their handwashing performance, with a higher percentage of participants correctly performing all 7 steps compared with the control group (22.4% [95% CI, 13.1% to 31.6%] vs 1.5% [-7.9% to 10.9%]; P < .001). Hand scan images revealed that wrists, fingertips, and finger webs were the most commonly ignored areas in handwashing.

In this cluster randomized clinical trial of an education program for hand hygiene, a handwashing instructional video and hand scan images did not enhance the level of decontamination. The intervention group had improved handwashing techniques compared with the control group, a secondary outcome.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05872581.