| Learning Objective #1: Discuss the importance of hand hygiene in the elementary school population and how it relates to infectious disease and absenteeism | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe how nursing research is a valuable component of the school nurse role |
Objective: To compare the effectiveness of a waterless skin sanitizer as an adjunct to handwashing with standard handwashing practices for reducing absenteeism due to infectious disease in elementary school students. Design: A crossover design with two groups, regular handwashing and the alcohol gel group, completed in two phase with a 1-week “washout” period. Population, Sample, Setting, Years: All students in grades K through three were eligible; 253 students participated from November, 2001, through May, 2002. Twenty-two children did not participate due to non-consent; 10 children were pulled due to skin problems. Intervention and Outcomes Variables: The intervention was education and use of the alcohol gel. Children in the control group were taught hand hygiene as part of their classroom curriculum. A 45-minute “Germ Unit” incorporating the study protocol was taught prior to starting the alcohol gel. The gel was applied at four scheduled times during the day and by teacher discretion. Dispensers mounted in product classrooms delivered 0.5 milliliter of gel per application. “Skin checks” were performed weekly. Absenteeism due to infectious illness was the outcome variable. Methods: Absenteeism was categorized into respiratory illness, gastrointestinal illness, non-infectious illness, and non-illness absence. Findings: Forty-two children were never absent due to illness while 103 children were ill regardless of the study group. Sixty-nine children became ill only while in the regular handwashing group; only 39 children became ill only while in the gel group. Based on McNemar’s test, use of a waterless sanitizer as an adjunct to handwashing decreased the odds of being absent by 43%. Conclusions: “Healthy Hands” was been shown to decrease school absenteeism due to infectious illness. “Healthy Hands” provides a valid and manageable school nursing research model. Implications: State funding is based on the number of children in attendance and not enrollment, providing a potential secondary gain.
Back to Family and School Health
Back to 14th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
10-12 July 2003