Question

A medical journal published the results of a study to compare the effectiveness of handwashing with soup and handrubbing with alcohol. Health care workers who used handrubbing had a mean bacterial count of

36 per hand with a standard deviation of 64. Health care workers who used handwashing had a mean bacterial count of 71 per hand with a standard deviation of 109. In a random sample of 50 health care workers, all using the same method of cleaning their hands, the mean bacterial count per hand, x, is greater than 80. Give your opinion on whether this sample of workers used handrubbing with alcohol or handwashing with soap.

a) Handrubbing with alcohol
b) Handwashing with soap

Answer 1

The sample of health care workers used handrubbing with alcohol.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to determine whether the sample of health care workers used handrubbing with alcohol or handwashing with soap, we need to compare the mean bacterial count per hand between the two methods. The mean bacterial count per hand for health care workers who used handrubbing was 36, while for those who used handwashing it was 71. Since the mean bacterial count in the sample of workers is greater than 80, we can conclude that the workers used handrubbing with alcohol, as the higher count suggests a less effective method of reducing bacteria.