Abstract

Routine chlorhexidine gluconate use onboard navy surface vessels does not reduce infection

Part of Special Series: Innovative Solutions in Remote Healthcare – ‘Rethinking Remote’ Conference Abstracts 2016go to url

AUTHORS

name here
L Feldman
1 *

name here
I Netzer
2

CORRESPONDENCE

* L Feldman

AFFILIATIONS

1 North Shore-LIJ, Glen Cove Hospital, Department of Family Medicine, Great Neck, USA

2 Israeli Navy and IDFMC, Nesher, Israel

PUBLISHED

30 June 2016 Volume 16 Issue 2

HISTORY

RECEIVED: 20 June 2016

ACCEPTED: 29 June 2016

CITATION

Feldman L, Netzer I.  Routine chlorhexidine gluconate use onboard navy surface vessels does not reduce infection. Rural and Remote Health 2016; 16: 4067. https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH4067

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© James Cook University 2016

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abstract:

Objective: Hand disinfection with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) commonly used for preventing the spread of infection in medical institutions and the community, but studies on its use in military settings have been inconclusive. We examined the effects of CHG on morbidity on Israeli Navy ships.
Design: Controlled, cluster randomized study.
Setting: Ships and infirmary of a major naval base in Israel.
Participants: Ships were randomly selected into the study (347 sailors) and primary control (350 sailors) groups. Additional nonintervention control groups included other sailors serving on the base (n=360) and logistics and support personnel (n=859).
Intervention: CHG disinfection devices were installed on all ships in the study group, alongside soap and water. Morbidity was analyzed using a computerized patient record (CPR), subjective self-report questionnaires and a sample of hand cultures. Compliance with hand hygiene was analyzed using a self-report hygiene attitudes questionnaire at the beginning of the trial and after 3 months. The study took place between May and September 2014.
Results: No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of sick days or light duty days or in the number of acute gastrointestinal or respiratory cases. Sailors were found to have more skin infections than controls, but this was not significantly reduced by CHG. Hand cultures demonstrated that continuous use of CHG did not cause a reduction in colonization. There were no statistically significant differences in self-reported hygiene practices.
Conclusion: CHG did not demonstrate any medical benefit over the use of soap and water onboard Israeli Navy ships.

This abstract was presented at the Innovative Solutions in Remote Healthcare - 'Rethinking Remote' conference, 23-24 May 2016, Inverness, Scotland.

This PDF has been produced for your convenience. Always refer to the live site https://www.rrh.org.au/journal/article/4067 for the Version of Record.