Comparing the Effects of Face‑to‑Face and Video‑Based Educations on Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Performance among Mothers in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Hand hygiene is the first step in nosocomial infection control. However, most people have limited knowledge about proper hand hygiene.

This study aimed at comparing the effects of face‑to‑face education (FTFE) and video‑based education (VBE) on hand hygiene knowledge and performance among mothers in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Using a three‑group design, this randomized controlled trial was conducted in March–December 2019 in Al‑Zahra University Hospital, Tabriz, Iran. In total, 132 mothers of neonates in NICU were recruited to the study through convenient sampling and were randomly allocated to either an FTFE group, a VBE group, or a control group. Data were collected before and 3 days after the intervention using a Maternal Hand Hygiene Knowledge Questionnaire and a Maternal Hand Hygiene Performance checklist. Data analysis was performed using the Chi‑square test, paired‑samples t‑test, one‑way analysis of variance, and analysis of covariance.

The mean scores of hand hygiene knowledge and performance significantly increased in both the intervention groups (P < 0.05) but did not significantly change in the control group (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences among the groups regarding the pretest mean scores of hand hygiene knowledge (P = 0.24) and performance (P = 0.26), while the posttest mean scores of hand hygiene knowledge and performance in both the intervention groups were significantly greater than the control group (P < 0.05).

Both FTFE and VBE are effective in significantly improving hand hygiene knowledge and performance among the mothers of neonates in NICU.