COVID-19 Germ Defence: a website to improve infection control during the COVID-19 pandemic

Primary care implementation of Germ Defence: a digital behaviour change intervention to improve infection control during the COVID-19 pandemic

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN14602359

Enrollment

6822

Registered

2020-08-12

Start date

2020-10-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2023-12-19

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Respiratory tract infections including COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 infection) Infections and Infestations

Interventions

Germ Defence is a digital behavioural change intervention to improve infection control. The Germ Defence content was developed using theoretical modelling and qualitative research (Yardley et al.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Current inclusion criteria as of 09/10/2020: No individual patients will be recruited to this trial. However, all GP practices in England will be asked to support the study by promoting the use of the Germ Defence website to their adult patients either on 14/10/2020 (intervention arm) or on/after 31/01/2021 (usual care arm) _____ Previous inclusion criteria: No individual patients will be recruited to this trial. However, all GP practices in England will be asked to support the study by promoting the use of the Germ Defence website to their adult patients either on 01/10/2020 (intervention arm) or after 31/01/2021 (usual care arm)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. GP practices outside England 2. Patients under the age of 18 years

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Respiratory tract infection diagnoses measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Incidence of COVID-19 diagnoses measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 2. Incidence of COVID-19 symptom presentation measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 3. Incidence of gastrointestinal infections measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 4. Number of primary care consultations measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 5. Antibiotic usage measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 6. Hospital admissions measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 7. Uptake of GP practices disseminating Germ Defence to their patients measured using website analytics at baseline and 4 months 8. Usage of Germ Defence by individuals granted access to the website by their GP practice measured using website analytics at baseline and 4 months	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Incidence of COVID-19 diagnoses measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 2. Incidence of COVID-19 symptom presentation measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 3. Incidence of gastrointestinal infections measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 4. Number of primary care consultations measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 5. Antibiotic usage measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 6. Hospital admissions measured using routine GPES [general practice extraction service] for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) data at baseline and 4 months 7. Uptake of GP practices disseminating Germ Defence to their patients measured using website analytics at baseline and 4 months 8. Usage of Germ Defence by individuals granted access to the website by their GP practice measured using website analytics at baseline and 4 months

—

Countries

England, United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactMelanie Chalder

germdefence-study@bristol.ac.uk-

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 23, 2026