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Comparing colony-forming units in inpatient nurses: Should military nurses who provide patient care wear hospital-provided scrubs?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 August 2018

Gordon F. West ,
Marisol Resendiz ,
Michael B. Lustik  and
Md A. Nahid
Gordon F. West*
Affiliation:
Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Marisol Resendiz
Affiliation:
Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Michael B. Lustik
Affiliation:
Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Md A. Nahid
Affiliation:
Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
*
Author for correspondence: Gordon West, 1 Jarrett White Road, Honolulu, HI 96859. E-mail:gordon.f.west.mil@mail.mil
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Abstract

Objective

To compare bacterial contamination of military-approved uniforms and hospital-provided scrubs donned by nursing staff in an inpatient setting.

Design

Randomized experimental crossover study.

Setting

Large academic military medical center.

Methods

Inpatient units were randomized to predetermine the order of uniform sampling. Participants included nursing staff who provided direct patient care across 7 eligible inpatient units. Sampling of 6 designated sites on the uniform was completed on arrival to work, at ~4 hours into their shift, and at the 8-hour time point, for a total of 18 samples. Sampling of each participant occurred on 2 separate occasions, once in a military-approved uniform, and once in hospital-provided scrubs. After 24 hours of incubation, a colony-counting machine was used to calculate the total colony-forming units (CFU) of the sample.

Results

Across all time points, military-approved uniforms demonstrated a 2-fold bacterial increase at the abdominal site and 3-fold increases at the sleeve cuff and waist pocket regions compared to the same regions on hospital-provided scrubs.

Conclusion

Nurses should be aware that bacteria are present at much higher levels on their personal military uniforms compared to hospital-provided scrubs. Additional research is needed to determine whether these findings are a function of wear, laundering, or environmental factors. Nurses should adhere to daily uniform washing to reduce bacterial load and minimize risk of nosocomial infections to the patients they care for.

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 39 , Issue 11 , November 2018 , pp. 1316 - 1321
Copyright
© 2018 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved. 

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