The SCIN (Skin Care intervention in Nurses) Trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A cluster randomised controlled trial of a behavioural change package to prevent hand dermatitis in nurses working in the National Health Service
IRAS ID
126444
Contact name
Ira Madan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Guy's & St Thomas' Foundation NHS Trust R&D Department
Research summary
Hand dermatitis is a common cause of discomfort and loss of productivity in the NHS workforce with treatment costs amounting to £125 million/year. Different preventive measures are used to reduce hand dermatitis in healthcare workers but it is not clear how effective these are.
After feasibility studies in Wales we will undertake a research study in 26 NHS trusts in England. We will randomly allocate 13 trusts to receive the intervention and 13 trusts to act as controls.
We will study nurses at high risk of hand dermatitis (student nurses with a past history of allergic disease and intensive care unit nurses), and test the effectiveness of an on-line training programme, which aims to change nurses’ beliefs and behaviours in looking after their hands. The student nurses will be provided with personal tubes of moisturising cream. On intensive care units, facilities for washing and drying hands will be optimised and dispensers of moisturising creams installed. Nurses will be encouraged to report hand dermatitis to their occupational health department so that their dermatitis can be managed appropriately and so that their hands can be photographed and swabbed to check for harmful bacteria. Two dermatologists from the study team will review the photographs to grade the severity of dermatitis.
We will assess the intervention by comparing changes in how often nurses develop hand dermatitis in the intervention and control trusts, how often infection or carriage of potentially dangerous organisms develops in the hands of those nurses with dermatitis, and in the way that nurses look after their hands. We will take into account other factors, which may influence the differences between the intervention, and control trusts, for example, workload and types of hand rub and soaps used. An economic analysis will assess whether the benefits of the intervention outweigh its costs.REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/0981
Date of REC Opinion
31 Oct 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion