Bacterial Contamination of Physician AttireNCT01192841
Bacterial Contamination of Workwear
A study testing Physician uniform in people with Bacterial Contamination of Physician Attire, run by Denver Health and Hospital Authority at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Governmental agencies in the United Kingdom and Scotland have recently instituted guidelines banning physicians' white coats and wearing of long-sleeved garments to decrease hospital transmission of bacteria. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Bacterial Contamination of Physician Attire
- What is being tested?
- Physician uniform
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 110 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Apr 2008to Nov 2009
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Internal medicine interns, residents, and hospitalists working on acute medicine ward service.
Who cannot join
- Not willing/unable to participate in study
- Not working a full 8 hour day in the hospital
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Physician Dress Code And Microbial Colonization Of The White Coat: Does Physician Dress Code Alter Bacterial Colonization Rate On The Clothing Of Physicians?
Governmental agencies in the United Kingdom and Scotland have recently instituted guidelines banning physicians' white coats and wearing of long-sleeved garments to decrease hospital transmission of bacteria. The purpose of this study is to compare the bacterial contamination of physicians' white coats with that of newly laundered, standardized short-sleeved uniforms after an eight-hour workday and to determine the rate at which bacterial contamination of the uniform ensues. Our hypothesis was that the physician white coat would have more bacterial contamination at the end of the work day.
Read the detailed description
Governmental agencies in the United Kingdom and Scotland have recently instituted guidelines banning physicians' white coats and wearing of long-sleeved garments to decrease nosocomial transmission of bacteria. Our goal was to compare the degree of bacterial and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus contamination of physicians' white coats with that of newly laundered, standardized short-sleeved uniforms after an eight-hour workday and to determine the rate at which bacterial contamination of the uniform ensues. 100 interns, residents, and hospitalists on an internal medicine service were randomized to wear either physician white coat or newly laundered, short-sleeved uniform. Bacterial colony counts and the frequency with which methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was found was compared in the two groups and over time. Our initial hypothesis was that physician white coats would have more bacterial contamination at the end of the work day.
- Being tested
- Physician uniform
- Keywords
- physician uniform, MRSA, bacterial contamination
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Physician uniformOther
Participants were given a clean uniform (scrubs) on the day of the study. They wore this for approximately 8 hours.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| White coat group | No intervention | Participants continued their regular practice of wearing their physician white coat. |
| Uniform group | Experimental | Participants were given a clean uniform (scrubs) at the beginning of the day. Receives: Other: Physician uniform |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Bacterial colony counts and the frequency with which methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was found over time
Measured: 8 hours
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted1 Sep 2010 (estimated)
- Study startApr 2008
- Primary completionNov 2009
- Study completionNov 2009
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Bacterial Contamination of Physician AttireStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 110 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Denver Health and Hospital Authority
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Investigators
- Marisha Burden, MD, Principal investigator, Denver Health and Housing Authority
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01192841
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 07-1137
- Status last verified
- Aug 2010
- First submitted
- 30 Aug 2010
- Last updated
- 1 Sep 2010
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
Publications
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.
PubMed 21312328
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Sep 2010. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Physician Dress Code And Microbial Colonization Of The White Coat: Does Physician Dress Code Alter Bacterial Colonization Rate On The Clothing Of Physicians?
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01192841
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 07-1137
- Keywords
- physician uniform, MRSA, bacterial contamination
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 110 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Denver Health and Hospital AuthorityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Apr 2008
- Primary completion
- Nov 2009 (actual)
- Study completion
- Nov 2009 (actual)
- First posted
- 1 Sep 2010 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Governmental agencies in the United Kingdom and Scotland have recently instituted guidelines banning physicians' white coats and wearing of long-sleeved garments to decrease hospital transmission of bacteria. The purpose of this study is to compare the bacterial contamination of physicians' white coats with that of newly laundered, standardized short-sleeved uniforms after an eight-hour workday and to determine the rate at which bacterial contamination of the uniform ensues. Our hypothesis was that the physician white coat would have more bacterial contamination at the end of the work day.
Detailed description
Governmental agencies in the United Kingdom and Scotland have recently instituted guidelines banning physicians' white coats and wearing of long-sleeved garments to decrease nosocomial transmission of bacteria. Our goal was to compare the degree of bacterial and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus contamination of physicians' white coats with that of newly laundered, standardized short-sleeved uniforms after an eight-hour workday and to determine the rate at which bacterial contamination of the uniform ensues. 100 interns, residents, and hospitalists on an internal medicine service were randomized to wear either physician white coat or newly laundered, short-sleeved uniform. Bacterial colony counts and the frequency with which methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was found was compared in the two groups and over time. Our initial hypothesis was that physician white coats would have more bacterial contamination at the end of the work day.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| White coat group | No intervention | –Participants continued their regular practice of wearing their physician white coat. |
| Uniform group | Experimental | Other: Physician uniformParticipants were given a clean uniform (scrubs) at the beginning of the day. |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Internal medicine interns, residents, and hospitalists working on acute medicine ward service.
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Not willing/unable to participate in study
- Not working a full 8 hour day in the hospital
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Physician uniformParticipants were given a clean uniform (scrubs) on the day of the study. They wore this for approximately 8 hours. | Other | Uniform group |
Primary outcome
Bacterial colony counts and the frequency with which methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was found over time
Time frame: 8 hours
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Sep 2010.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 21312328Burden 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.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Marisha Burden, MD principal investigator
Denver Health and Housing Authority
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Physician uniform in people with Bacterial Contamination of Physician Attire, run by Denver Health and Hospital Authority at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Sep 2010. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Bacterial colony counts and the frequency with which methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was found over time (time frame: 8 hours). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01192841, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Sep 2010.