Playful activity with robot for hand hygiene of elementary school students: quasi-experimental study

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the hand hygiene process after elementary school students participated in an educational activity using an automated digital technology called Tutor Robot. Method: Quasi-experimental study developed in 2019 with elementary school students (n=203). Hand hygiene was performed with a fluorescent solution before and after participating in an educational activity with a tutor robot. The images were recorded in a dark chamber and the data related to area of residence, grade, gender, hand position and laterality were analyzed by Anova and Holm-Sidak Post-Hoc (p≤0,05). Results: All conditions studied improved the hand hygiene process after activity with the tutor robot. There was no association between grade, gender, and dominant hand and the performance in the hand hygiene process, however, students from urban areas performed better than those from rural areas. Conclusion: The activity with the tutor robot represented an important resource for conducting health education actions on hand hygiene and can also be tested in other settings and populations.