Bacterial Contamination of Healthcare Worker Uniforms

NCT ID: NCT01537835

Last Updated: 2015-02-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 109 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2011-11-30
• Study Completion Date: 2012-08-31

Brief Summary

Healthcare worker uniforms are frequently contaminated with bacteria known to cause infections in humans. These bacteria are acquired during the workday. A new technology of antimicrobial textiles have been developed and incorporated into the fabric of health care worker uniforms, reportedly with effectiveness rates of > 99% but there is little literature describing the effectiveness of Healthcare worker (HCW) uniforms with antimicrobial properties in the clinical setting. Because of the potential benefit that such uniforms could offer HCWs and patients alike, further investigation into whether these fabrics are effective is warranted.

Up to 140 physicians, nurses, and midlevel providers who work at Denver Health on the general internal medicine wards will be invited to participate in this study. Participants will be randomized to wear either uniforms (scrubs) that have antimicrobial properties or standard scrubs provided by the hospital. At the end of an 8-hour workday, three areas on each uniform and each subject's wrist area will be cultured to assess for total bacterial colonization as well as for various resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), and resistant gram-negative rods.

Primary Hypothesis: HCW uniforms with antimicrobial properties will have less bacterial contamination than standard uniforms (scrubs) at the end of an 8-hour workday.

Specific aim 1a. Demonstrate that antimicrobial uniforms will have less total bacterial contamination of sites swabbed compared to standard uniform after an 8-hour workday.

Specific aim 1b. Demonstrate that antimicrobial uniforms will have less antimicrobial-resistant bacterial contamination (specifically looking for MRSA, VRE, and resistant gram negatives) of sites swabbed compared to standard uniform after an 8-hour workday.

Conditions

Bacterial Contamination of Healthcare Worker Uniforms

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Standard Scrubs

Participants will be randomized to one of three types of uniforms. This arm is the standard scrub arm. The participants will wear new standard scrubs.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Antimicrobial Scrubs 1

Participants will be randomized to one of three types of uniforms. In this arm, the participants will wear one of two types of antimicrobial uniforms. These are commercially available and registered with the Environmental Protective Agency.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Antimicrobial Scrubs

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants will be randomized to one of three types of scrubs. There will be a control (standard scrubs without antimicrobial properties) and two scrubs with reported antimicrobial properties.

Antimicrobial Scrubs 2

Participants will be randomized to one of three types of uniforms. In this arm, the participants will wear one of two types of antimicrobial uniforms. These are commercially available and registered with the Environmental Protective Agency.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Antimicrobial Scrubs

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants will be randomized to one of three types of scrubs. There will be a control (standard scrubs without antimicrobial properties) and two scrubs with reported antimicrobial properties.

Interventions

Antimicrobial Scrubs

Participants will be randomized to one of three types of scrubs. There will be a control (standard scrubs without antimicrobial properties) and two scrubs with reported antimicrobial properties.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Physicians, nurses, and midlevel providers who work at Denver Health on the general internal medicine wards;
• Provider must be available for cultures at the end of the day, provider must be on service at Denver
• Health for the duration of the study, provider must be willing to avoid wearing white coats

Exclusion Criteria

• Refusal to participate
• Known to be pregnant

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 90 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Colorado, Denver

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Denver Health and Hospital Authority

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Marisha A Burden, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Denver Health and Housing Authority

Locations

Denver Health and Hospital Authority

Denver, Colorado, United States

Countries

United States

References

Burden M, Cervantes L, Weed D, Keniston A, Price CS, Albert RK. Newly cleaned physician uniforms and infrequently washed white coats have similar rates of bacterial contamination after an 8-hour workday: a randomized controlled trial. J Hosp Med. 2011 Apr;6(4):177-82. doi: 10.1002/jhm.864. Epub 2011 Feb 10.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 21312328 (View on PubMed)

Burden M, Keniston A, Frank MG, Brown CA, Zoucha J, Cervantes L, Weed D, Boyle K, Price C, Albert RK. Bacterial contamination of healthcare workers' uniforms: a randomized controlled trial of antimicrobial scrubs. J Hosp Med. 2013 Jul;8(7):380-5. doi: 10.1002/jhm.2051. Epub 2013 Jun 12.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 23757125 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

2-5-15504

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id