Summary of findings 5. Shaving compared with cream for participants undergoing surgery.
| Shaving compared with depilatory cream for participants undergoing surgery | ||||||
| Patient or population: people undergoing surgery Setting: hospital Intervention: shaving Comparison: depilatory cream | ||||||
| Outcomes | Anticipated absolute effects* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | № of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Risk with cream | Risk with shaving | |||||
| Surgical site infection (SSI) assessed with: proportion of SSI follow‐up: range 5 days to 6 weeks | Study population | RR 2.28 (1.12 to 4.65) | 1593 (9 RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ Moderate 1 | Pooled meta‐analysis suggests the risk of SSI is probably higher when hair is removed with a razor than with depilatory cream. | |
| 36 per 1000 | 46 more SSIs per 1000 (4 more to 131 more) | |||||
| Wound complications follow‐up: range 10 days to 6 weeks | Study population | RR 6.95 (3.45 to 13.98) | 937 (5 RCTs) | ⊕⊕⊝⊝ Low 2 | Pooled meta‐analysis suggests the risk of skin injury may be lower in people who have hair removed with depilatory cream than in those who have hair removed with razors. | |
| 17 per 1000 | 101 more complications per 1000 (42 more to 221 more) | |||||
| Length of stay | No data were reported for this outcome. | |||||
| Cost follow‐up: range 5 to 28 days | 3 studies reported on cost. 1 trial reported the approximate costs per 100 people were GBP 14 for razors and GBP 22 for depilatory cream. 1 trial found the cost of the cream was GBP 0.25 compared with GBP 0.80 for the average cost of a shave. 1 trial stated the cost of 1 tube of cream was GBP 0.90, and the cost of 1 razor was GBP 0.08. | ‐ | 402 (3 RCTs) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ Very low 3 | Narratives from 3 studies report mixed findings for the cost of a tube of depilatory cream compared with a disposable razor. We have very little confidence in this effect. | |
| *The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: confidence interval; RCT: randomised controlled trial; RR: risk ratio | ||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High certainty: We are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect. Moderate certainty: We are moderately confident in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different. Low certainty: Our confidence in the effect estimate is limited: the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect. Very low certainty: We have very little confidence in the effect estimate: the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect. | ||||||
1Downgraded one level for serious risk of bias, as several studies were quasi‐randomised. 2Downgraded one level for serious risk of bias, as two studies were quasi‐randomised, and one level for serious imprecision due to wide confidence intervals. 3Downgraded one level for serious imprecision due to small sample size and two levels for very serious indirectness, as only one aspect of treatment costs was assessed.