SHIELD

Research Overview:

Drs. Nasia Safdar and Daniel Shirley from the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health are leading this research study to see if common antiseptic solutions are helpful in preventing COVID-19.  Even with the success of COVID-19 vaccines, these solutions may prevent spread of multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19)

We are inviting all workers who work some or all of their job duties in person to participate in this study.  Volunteers must be 18 or older.  All participation can take place remotely and vaccination status does not matter for participation.

$50 compensation may be available to participants.

What will you do in this study?

The goal of this research is to test if two common antiseptics, povidone iodine (PI) and chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG), can be used to slow the spread of COVID-19.  PI and CHG are already used in healthcare to prevent infections in patients.

As part of this study we will ask participants to swab their nose with PI nose swabs 2 times a day and rinse their mouth with CHG mouthwash 4 times a day for 3 weeks.

We also ask participants to collect swabs from their nose 3 times per week for the full 10 weeks of participation.  This will be sent back to our lab and tested for COVID-19 genetic material.

There are several surveys we will ask participants to complete, including some general information and thoughts about the use of these treatments.

All supplies will be sent to the participant’s address.  All study activities can be completed at home – no in person study visits are needed and you do not need to be located near Madison to participate.

How long will participation last?

Participation in this study will last for 10 weeks.  Of that 10 week period, participants would spend 3 weeks using the antiseptic PI and CHG treatments.

Research participation is voluntary, participants can withdraw from the study at any time.

Why is this study important?

If our study shows that PI and CHG can reduce cases of COVID-19, they may be a useful addition to practices like hand washing and wearing masks to prevent spread of the virus.

What if I have questions?

If you have any questions about this study please reach out to us at SHIELD@medicine.wisc.edu or 608-262-6560.

If you are interested in participating, please click here for more detailed information and to enroll in the study.