This study will determine if there is a difference in bacterial contamination (CFU/cm2) between obstetric resident surgical scrubs donned at home and those donned at the hospital.
An area of potential provider-to-patient contamination, and therefore intervention, is in health care worker attire and laundering practices. For providers who work in the operating room or labor \& delivery suites, this uniform usually comprises hospital-issued surgical scrubs. To the best of our knowledge, no study has measured the difference in bacterial contamination on surgical scrubs vis-a-vis the two variables most directly affected by hospital policies for surgical attire: site of scrub laundering and site where scrubs were first put on. In addition, no study has measured the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms on surgical scrubs in the obstetric setting. Our primary objective is to measure the difference in bacterial contamination (CFU/cm2) between home-laundered/home-donned scrubs ("home/home," group 1), hospital-laundered/home-donned scrubs ("hospital/home," group 2), home-laundered/hospital-donned scrubs ("home/hospital," group 3), and hospital-laundered/hospital-donned scrubs ("hospital/hospital," group 4) in the obstetric setting. Our secondary objective is to determine the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms on surgical scrubs in the obstetric setting.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
18
difference in bacterial contamination between scrubs donned at home and those put on in the hospital, when location of laundering is considered (as determined by (CFU/cm2)
4 days of randomization per subject
Time frame: 4 days
Prevalence of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus on surgical scrubs in the obstetric setting
4 days of randomization per subject
Time frame: 4 days
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