250 Participants Needed

Hand Hygiene Reminders to Reduce Infections in Aging Patients

(CHAMPs Trial)

Recruiting at 1 trial location
SC
CD
Overseen ByCurtis Donskey, MD
Age: 65+
Sex: Any
Trial Phase: Academic
Sponsor: Case Western Reserve University
No Placebo GroupAll trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This study proposes the novel use of a bedrail-affixed technology-based patient hand hygiene system with verbal and visual reminders to improve hospitalized older adults' self-management of hand hygiene practice, which in return reduces harmful germs found on older adult's hands that lead to infections.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Clean Hands Accessible and Manageable for Patients (CHAMPs) in reducing infections in aging patients?

Research shows that electronic reminder systems, like the one used in CHAMPs, can increase hand hygiene practices. For example, a study found that using electronic reminders increased hand hygiene events by 24% among healthcare workers, suggesting similar systems could help patients too.12345

Is the hand hygiene reminder system safe for use in humans?

The studies on electronic hand hygiene reminder systems, including those with audible alerts and verbal reminders, do not report any safety concerns for humans. These systems have been tested in healthcare settings to improve hand hygiene practices without indicating any adverse effects.12346

How is the CHAMPs treatment different from other hand hygiene treatments?

The CHAMPs treatment is unique because it uses a bedrail-affixed technology to remind aging patients to clean their hands, combining a verbal electronic audio reminder with an educational bundle to encourage self-managed hand hygiene, unlike traditional methods that focus on healthcare workers.12578

Research Team

SC

Shanina C Knighton, PhD

Principal Investigator

Case Western Reserve University

Eligibility Criteria

The CHAMPs trial is for hospitalized older adults over 65 who are staying in a medical-surgical unit for more than a day. Participants must be able to speak and read English, give written consent shortly after admission, and have the physical ability as well as sufficient hearing and vision to use the hand hygiene system.

Inclusion Criteria

I am 65 years old or older.
I am admitted to a hospital's medical-surgical unit.
I can hear and see well enough to follow treatment instructions.
See 4 more

Exclusion Criteria

Terminal illness
I do not have any physical or mental conditions that prevent me from understanding and using CHAMPs.
I am currently receiving radiation or chemotherapy.
See 4 more

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 week

Baseline Assessment

Initial assessment of hand contamination and hand hygiene practice

1 day
1 visit (in-person)

Intervention

Participants receive the CHAMPs hand hygiene system with verbal and visual reminders

3-4 days
Daily monitoring (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for hand contamination and hand hygiene practice after intervention

1 day
1 visit (in-person)

Treatment Details

Interventions

  • Clean Hands Accessible and Manageable for Patients
Trial OverviewThis study tests a new bedrail-affixed technology that reminds patients through verbal and visual cues to practice hand hygiene. It aims to see if this can help reduce germ transmission by improving self-managed hand cleaning practices among older hospital patients.
Participant Groups
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: Clean Hands Accessible and Manageable for PatientsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
CHAMPs participants will receive a patient hand-sanitation system attached via an R-shape clip to the bed rail. After it is placed on the bed rail, the personalized verbal electronic audio reminder with the RA's voice to insert the participants' name, " ____ it is (breakfast, lunch, dinner) time, please clean your hands." The times will be within an hour window of 7 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m. The CHAMPs system will be labeled "For Patient Use Only." The times were chosen around meal times because these times also are similar to around the time when medications are being administered. The hands can be a vector for germs to the face and mouth as shown in the literature. On Day 3 or 4 whichever comes later without anticipated discharge, the Interventionist will provide the evaluation of intervention questionnaires, clean the system turn it in to the project manager to retrieve SD card which contains the month, day, time, and number of system usages.
Group II: Usual CareActive Control1 Intervention
Based on the literature reviewed and previous studies, the enrollment and the control group (Group 1- Usual Care) will begin within 24 hours of participants' admission to medical surgical units (4A, 4B, 5A, 5B- Cleveland VA and 9B, 9C, 11C, 7A MetroHealth). Data collection times are: the day of admission (Baseline, Day 0-1) and Day 3-4 between 2pm and 5pm. Participants will be consented for the research study staff to collect swabs for their nares on Day 0-1 and Day 3-4 and their hands at admission Day 0-1 and Day 3-4. No education or hand hygiene products will be provided. It is established that at both institutions a lemon towelette packet is provided with each meal.

Find a Clinic Near You

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Case Western Reserve University

Lead Sponsor

Trials
314
Recruited
236,000+

MetroHealth Medical Center

Collaborator

Trials
125
Recruited
22,600+

Louis Stokes VA Medical Center

Collaborator

Trials
21
Recruited
4,100+

Findings from Research

The study found that adding a verbal electronic audio reminder (EAR) to a hand hygiene education bundle significantly increased the use of hand sanitizer among patients, with those receiving the EAR using an average of 29.97 grams compared to 10.88 grams in the control group.
This suggests that simple audio reminders can effectively enhance patient self-management of hand hygiene, potentially leading to better health outcomes and reduced infections, while also indicating the need for further research on its application for promoting other healthy behaviors.
Use of a verbal electronic audio reminder with a patient hand hygiene bundle to increase independent patient hand hygiene practices of older adults in an acute care setting.Knighton, SC., Dolansky, M., Donskey, C., et al.[2019]
The implementation of an electronic hand hygiene reminder system in an ICU led to a significant 24% increase in hand hygiene events, rising from 1538 to 1911 events per day, indicating improved compliance among healthcare workers.
The system not only increased the total number of hand hygiene actions but also improved the ratio of hand hygiene to room entry/exit events by 40%, demonstrating its effectiveness in promoting better hygiene practices in a clinical setting.
A Prospective Controlled Trial of an Electronic Hand Hygiene Reminder System.Ellison, RT., Barysauskas, CM., Rundensteiner, EA., et al.[2020]
The implementation of an electronic infrared tap with voice reinforcement significantly improved hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in the NICU and PICU, with adherence rates increasing from 86.9% to 94.9% in the NICU and from 81.2% to 92.9% in the PICU after the intervention.
A total of 2718 hand hygiene events were monitored, demonstrating that the intervention effectively enhanced hand hygiene practices, which is crucial for preventing infections in vulnerable patient populations.
Effect of Electronic Infrared Tap With Voice Reinforcement on Hand Hygiene Compliance of Healthcare Personnel.Kathirvel, M., Murugesan, A., Sastry, A., et al.[2023]

References

Use of a verbal electronic audio reminder with a patient hand hygiene bundle to increase independent patient hand hygiene practices of older adults in an acute care setting. [2019]
A Prospective Controlled Trial of an Electronic Hand Hygiene Reminder System. [2020]
Effect of Electronic Infrared Tap With Voice Reinforcement on Hand Hygiene Compliance of Healthcare Personnel. [2023]
Automated hand hygiene compliance system's audible alert reminder increases healthcare worker hand hygiene compliance. [2023]
The effect of a prospective intervention program with automated monitoring of hand hygiene performance in long-term and acute-care units at a Veterans Affairs medical center. [2023]
Automated monitoring: a potential solution for achieving sustainable improvement in hand hygiene practices. [2014]
Hand hygiene behavior change: a review and pilot study of an automated hand hygiene reminder system implementation in a public hospital. [2023]
Systematic review of the effectiveness of strategies to encourage patients to remind healthcare professionals about their hand hygiene. [2018]