Clothing worn by healthcare providers is prone to bacterial contamination. A recent study published online revealed that even scrubs with antimicrobial properties did not prevent this issue. Study Design In the Antimicrobial Scrub Contamination and Transmission (ASCOT) Trial, 40 nurses were observed over three consecutive 12-hour shifts. Each nurse, without knowing which type they were wearing, rotated between: Traditional cotton-polyester scrubs Silver-alloy embedded scrubs Scrubs treated with antibacterial materials Cultures were collected from nurses’ scrubs (sleeve, abdomen, and pocket), patient environments (bed rails, beds, supply carts), and patients themselves, both before and after each shift.
Findings A total of 2,919 environmental and 2,185 scrub cultures were analyzed. No difference in contamination was found between scrub types. New contamination occurred during 33% of…
