| Study | Reason for exclusion |
|---|---|
| Adjoussou 2009 | Not a randomised controlled trial |
| Aly 1983 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Aly 1988 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Aly 1998 | Evaluated patient skin preparations |
| Arata 1993 | Evaluated patient skin preparations |
| Ayliffe 1984 | A discussion paper |
| Ayliffe 1988 | A laboratory and ward study ‐ not hand antisepsis |
| Ayliffe 1990 | Hand hygiene study |
| Babb 1991 | Study carried out on volunteers, not scrub staff in an operating theatre |
| Bansal 2002 | Wound irrigation study |
| Barsanti 2009 | Infection in ITU |
| Bartzokas 1983 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Bearman 2010 | Gloving study |
| Beeuwkes 1986 | Participants were not randomised |
| Bendig 1990 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Bernam 2004 | Not a randomised controlled trial |
| Bibbo 2005 | Evaluated patient skin preparations |
| Blomgren 1983 | Body exhaust suit study |
| Borer 2001 | Infection surveillance study |
| Boyce 2000a | An editorial |
| Boyce 2000b | Evaluated skin condition rather than SSIs or CFUs |
| Braumann 2008 | Study of dressings |
| Breeze 1994 | Discussion paper |
| Brooks 2001 | Evaluated patient skin preparations |
| Bruckner 2009 | Study of dressings |
| Bryce 2001 | Not a randomised controlled trial. Participants used product A for 2 weeks then swapped to product B for the following 2 weeks. |
| Caelli 2000 | Study of MRSA decolonisation |
| Carro 2007 | Not a randomised controlled trial |
| Cheng 2001 | Literature review |
| Coelho 1984 | Not relevant to this review |
| Cremieux 1989 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Crowder 1967 | Study was not randomised. Participants performed antisepsis using their usual solution. There were no comparison groups |
| Culligan 2005 | Randomised controlled trial comparing antiseptic solutions on patients' skin |
| Curti 1974 | Chemical agents |
| Da Cunha 2011 | Not a randomised controlled trial |
| Dahl 1990 | Chlorhexidine scrub which was left on the surgeons arm was compared with a surgeons arm where the chlorhexidine scrub was rinsed off. Did not meet the objectives of this review |
| Das 2005 | Study on hygienic hand washing |
| De Castro Peraza 2010 | Study of gloves in surgery |
| Demir 2009 | Staff survey |
| Deshmukh 1998 | Participants were randomised to 2 groups. Group 1 participants were tested after 1 hour and group 2 participants were tested after 2 hours. Participants in both groups used product A 1 day and product B the next day |
| Dineen 1969 | Participants' hands were covered with bacterial inoculum. A laboratory‐based study |
| Dineen 1978 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Dohmen 2006 | Antibiotic prophylaxic study |
| Durani 2008 | Non‐systematic literature review |
| Elenbaas 1982 | Dog bite study |
| Ellenhorn 2005 | Evaluated patient skin preparations |
| Faoagali 1995 | A laboratory style study using non clinical hospital staff |
| Ford 2005 | Antimicrobial suture study |
| Grabsch 2004 | Not randomised |
| Grinbaum 1995 | A retrospective study |
| Gruendemann 2001 | Discussion paper |
| Guilhermetti 2001 | MRSA decontamination study |
| Hagen 1995 | Evaluated patient skin preparations |
| Harnoss | Study carried out on volunteers, not scrub staff in an operating theatre |
| Heeg 1986 | Experimental and clinical conditions |
| Heeg 2001 | Measured the impact of hand care products on alcohol rubs |
| Heeg 2008 | Testing methods not suitable; not randomised |
| Hibbard 2002a | A laboratory‐based study |
| Hibbard 2002b | A laboratory‐based study |
| Hingst 1992 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Hobson 1998 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Hubner 2006 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Incoll 2009 | Skin preparation of patient |
| Jeng 1998 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Jeng 2001 | A study of skin antiseptics used on patients skin |
| Jones 2000 | A laboratory‐based study and participants were not randomised |
| Joress 1962 | No comparison group was used in the first part of the trial. Comparison groups were used in the second part of the trial, but solutions were applied to the forearm rather than as surgical scrubs |
| Kampf 2005 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Kargi 2008 | Anaesthetic agents study |
| Keser 2005 | Not a randomised controlled trial |
| Kikuchi 1999 | Measured condition of skin on hands of participants; did not compare CFUs or SSIs |
| Kjellander 1960 | Not randomised |
| Kong 1994 | Not relevant topic. |
| Kramer 2007 | Not randomised |
| Kramer 2008 | Descriptive paper of scrubbing methods |
| Larson 1984 | Study focused on handwashing rather than hand antisepsis |
| Larson 1986a | A laboratory‐based study |
| Larson 1986b | A laboratory‐based study |
| Larson 1990 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Larson 1993 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Larson 2001a | Study of handwashing in intensive care |
| Larson 2001b | Not randomised to appropriate groups. 5 participants were randomised to a reference group at the beginning of the study. The participants randomised to the intervention group used an alcohol rub for 3 weeks and then a surgical scrub for 3 weeks |
| Lehmann 1985 | Analgesics study |
| Lepor 2009 | Patient skin prep study |
| Lilly 1978 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Lio 2009 | Study on topical agents |
| Llanos 2006 | Wound management |
| Loeb 1997 | Study carried out on volunteers, not scrub staff in an operating theatre |
| Lowbury 1974a | Not relevant to this review |
| Lowbury 1974b | A laboratory‐based study |
| Lung 2004 | A literature review |
| Magann 1993 | Evaluated patient skin preparations |
| Magera 2007 | Patient skin preparation study |
| Marchetti 2003 | Laboratory‐based study |
| Marra 2008 | Hand hygiene study |
| Mathias 2000 | A discussion paper |
| Mathias 2002 | A discussion paper |
| McBride 1973 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Meers 1978 | Not relevant topic |
| Minakuchi 1993 | A study of handwashing rather than hand antisepsis. |
| Misterka 1991 | Study of dressings |
| Moralejo 2003 | Not a randomised controlled trial; summary of previously published studies |
| Mulberry 2001 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Murie 1980 | Cross‐over trial but without any randomisation |
| Nakano 2008 | Wound irrigation study |
| Nowak 1982 | Bowel prep study |
| O'Shaughnessy 1991 | All participants carried out intervention 1 on day 1, intervention 2 on day 2 and intervention 3 on day 3. No randomisation |
| Olson 2012 | Study carried out on volunteers, not scrub staff in an operating theatre |
| Ortiz 2012 | Assessed intra‐operative rescrubbing |
| Parienti 2004 | Central venous catheter study |
| Paulson 1994 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Paulson 1999 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Peterson 1978 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Phimolsarnti 1986 | Not randomised |
| Poon 1998 | Not randomised |
| Rehork 1991 | Study carried out on volunteers, not scrub staff in an operating theatre |
| Reid 1991 | Study of wound management |
| Reverdy 1984 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Rotter 1980 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Rotter 1984 | Study of handwashing rather than hand antisepsis |
| Rotter 1986 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Rotter 1998 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Rotter 2005 | Explores hand hygiene rather than hand antisepsis |
| Rotter 2006 | Laboratory‐based study |
| Sattar 2000 | A laboratory‐based study |
| Scheibel 1991 | Study of clean air systems |
| Scott 1991 | Evaluated user satisfaction |
| Sensoz 2003 | No evidence that the study was randomised |
| Serra 2005 | Study of dressings |
| Shirahatti 1993 | Evaluated patient skin preparations |
| Simor 2007 | MRSA decolonisation |
| Springer 2002 | Discussion paper |
| Stahl 2007 | Lab based study of effect of saline in antimicrobial skin preparations |
| Starr 2005 | Evaluated patient skin preparations |
| Stevenson 2003 | Study of antibiotics |
| Sullivan 2008 | Patient skin preparation study |
| Tanner 2008 | Earlier systematic review |
| Thiele 2008 | Literature review |
| Tucci 1977 | Not a randomised controlled trial; no control group |
| Valente 2003 | Wound irrigation study |
| Vogt 2006 | Evaluated iodine based wound dressings |
| Voss 1997 | Looked at compliance with various handwashing methods |
| Vossinakis 2004 | Study of local anaesthetic |
| Walwaikar 2002 | Each intervention group contained a scrub solution, a patient prep solution and a follow‐up wound cleansing product. It was not possible to look at the effect of the scrub solution on its own |
| Waterman 2006 | Study of glove juice and rings |
| Webster 1989 | Study of handwashing in a neo‐natal unit |
| Wernze 1975 | Anaesthetics study |
| Whittaker 2005 | Study of antibiotics in hand injuries |
| Yeung 2007 | Hand hygiene literature review |
| Yuldashkhan 2008 | Not a randomised controlled trial |
| Zaragoza 1999 | A study of handwashing, not hand antisepsis. |
MRSA: methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus