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Bacterial Contamination of Healthcare Workers' Uniforms: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Antimicrobial Scrubs
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7 2013
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Source: J Hosp Med. 8(7):380-385
[PDF-453.26 KB]
Details:
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Alternative Title:J Hosp Med
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Personal Author:
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Description:BACKGROUND:
Healthcare workers’ (HCWs) uniforms become contaminated with bacteria during normal use, and this may contribute to hospital-acquired infections. Antimicrobial uniforms are currently marketed as a means of reducing this contamination.
OBJECTIVE:
To compare the extent of bacterial contamination of uniforms and skin when HCWs wear 1 of 2 antimicrobial scrubs or standard scrubs.
DESIGN:
Prospective, randomized, controlled trial.
SETTING:
University-affiliated, public safety net hospital
PARTICIPANTS:
Hospitalist physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, housestaff, and nurses (total N = 105) working on internal medicine units.
INTERVENTION:
Subjects were randomized to wear standard scrubs or 1 of 2 antimicrobial scrubs.
MEASUREMENTS:
Bacterial colony counts in cultures taken from the HCWs’ scrubs and wrists after an 8-hour workday.
RESULTS:
The median (interquartile range) total colony counts was 99 (66–182) for standard scrubs, 137 (84–289) for antimicrobial scrub type A, and 138 (62–274) for antimicrobial scrub type B (P = 0.36). Colony counts from participants’ wrists were 16 (5–40) when they wore standard scrubs and 23 (4–42) and 15 (6–54) when they wore antimicrobial scrubs A and B, respectively (P = 0.92). Resistant organisms were cultured from 3 HCWs (4.3%) randomized to antimicrobial scrubs and none randomized to standard scrubs (P = 0.55). Six participants (5.7%) reported side effects to wearing scrubs, all of whom wore antimicrobial scrubs (P = 0.18).
CONCLUSIONS:
We found no evidence that either antimicrobial scrub product decreased bacterial contamination of HCWs’ uniforms or skin after an 8-hour workday.
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Subjects:
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Source:
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Pubmed ID:23757125
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC8759452
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Document Type:
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Funding:
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Volume:8
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Issue:7
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