title: Effect of the Intelligent Health Messenger Box on health care professionals' knowledge, attitudes, and practice related to hand hygiene and hand bacteria counts.
abstract: We assessed the effectiveness of the Intelligent Health Messenger Box in promoting hand hygiene using a quasiexperimental design. Knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices related to hand hygiene as well as hand bacteria counts and amount of liquid soap used were measured. The intervention involved broadcasting preventive audio messages. All outcomes showed significant change after the intervention compared with before. The Intelligent Health Messenger Box can serve as a practical way to improve hand hygiene.
authors.affiliation: Health Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Health Education Department, School of Health, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saffari
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, School of Health, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: qanizadeh@bmsu.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Ghader
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ghanizadeh
authors.affiliation: Health Education Department, School of Health, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Rasoul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fattahipour
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Kazem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khalaji
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Pakpour
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC; King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China.
authors.forename: Harold G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Koenig
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology*; D063373:Hand Hygiene / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Bacterial contamination; Education; Health care