Table 3.
Comparison of mean microbial counts colony-forming unit between the three interventions (Group I - placebo control, Group II - chlorhexidine, Group III - herbal formulation) at patient’s chest area, doctor’s mask area, and two feet beside the patient area using one-way ANOVA analysis
| Groups | Mean difference | 95% CI | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Lower bound | Upper bound | |||
| Patient’s chest area | ||||
| Placebo versus CHX | 90.53 | +59.15 | +121.91 | <0.001** |
| Placebo versus herbal formulation | 82.47 | +51.08 | +113.84 | <0.001** |
| Herbal formulation versus CHX | 8.07 | −23.31 | +39.44 | 0.607 |
| Doctor’s mask area | ||||
| Placebo versus CHX | 65.53 | +43.94 | +87.12 | <0.001** |
| Placebo versus herbal formulation | 58.27 | +36.68 | +79.85 | <0.001** |
| Herbal formulation versus CHX | 7.27 | −14.31 | +28.85 | 0.501 |
| 2 feet beside the patient area | ||||
| Placebo versus CHX | 30.27 | +21.11 | +39.41 | <0.001** |
| Placebo versus herbal formulation | 23.27 | +14.11 | +32.41 | <0.001** |
| Herbal formulation versus CHX | 7.00 | −2.14 | +16.14 | 0.130 |
**P value of <0.001 is considered statistically highly significant. CHX - Chlorhexidine; CI - Confidence interval; P - P value (Probability value)