Here are five things to know about the study.
1. Researchers conducted the study in two special education schools in Hong Kong. The study reduced the World Health Organization’s seven-step handwashing technique to five steps by combining two steps.
2. The Hong King Polytechnic University researchers compared hand hygiene measurements between the intervention (five-step method) and control (seven-step method) groups after the implementation of the simplified program. Researchers used fluorescent stain test photos to compare the results.
3. In the intervention group, the pre- to post-test difference was 212 percent grater than the difference in the control group.
4. The intervention group reduced sickness-related absenteeism by 40 percent more than the control group.
5. The intervention consisted of:
• The simplified 5-step handwashing technique
• A handwashing song
• A behavior modeling video
• A poster with visual cues for the five steps of the handwashing procedure
• A reward card system for behavioral reinforcement
• A validated handwashing checklist for concordance observation.
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