A long-term follow-up study of the Hand Eczema Trial (HET): a randomized clinical trial of a secondary preventive programme introduced to Danish healthcare workers

Summary

Background

Preventive skin care programmes have shown beneficial effects on the prevalence and severity of hand eczema, but most trials only report short-term outcomes. One such trial was the randomized Hand Eczema Trial (HET, 2009) investigating the effects of a secondary prevention programme in healthcare workers. Positive results have been reported at 5-month follow-up.

Objectives

To examine the long-term (42–47 months) effects of the HET.

Methods

The present study was a follow-up questionnaire study on the effect of the intervention. Outcomes were the presence and severity of hand eczema, health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), skin protective behaviour, and knowledge of skin protection. A supplementary outcome was general improvement/worsening of hand eczema.

Results

Comparison of the outcomes at follow-up showed no marked differences between the two groups. General improvement was reported by 70% in the intervention group and by 54% in the control group (p = 0.25). A small, statistically significant improvement was found regarding HR-QoL in the intervention group only (p = 0.015).

Conclusions

The impact of an intervention that is effective after 5 months is attenuated over time, with no long-term effect on the outcomes examined. We suggest that skin care education should be repeated at regular intervals.