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Factors associated with healthcare personnel glove or gown contamination with MRSA: a cohort study of VA hospitals in 5 states

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 October 2025

Lyndsay M. O’Hara ,
Lisa Pineles ,
Michelle Newman ,
Mary Bahr-Robertson ,
Gio J. Baracco Open the ORCID record for Gio J. Baracco [Opens in a new window] ,
Matthew Bidwell Goetz Open the ORCID record for Matthew Bidwell Goetz [Opens in a new window] ,
Kevin S. Ikuta ,
Christopher J. Crnich Open the ORCID record for Christopher J. Crnich [Opens in a new window] ,
Suzanne F. Bradley  and
Kathleen A. Linder
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Lyndsay M. O’Hara*
Affiliation:
VA Maryland Healthcare System, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Lisa Pineles
Affiliation:
VA Maryland Healthcare System, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Michelle Newman
Affiliation:
VA Maryland Healthcare System, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Mary Bahr-Robertson
Affiliation:
VA Maryland Healthcare System, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Gio J. Baracco
Affiliation:
Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, FL, USA
Matthew Bidwell Goetz
Affiliation:
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Kevin S. Ikuta
Affiliation:
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Christopher J. Crnich
Affiliation:
William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
Suzanne F. Bradley
Affiliation:
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Kathleen A. Linder
Affiliation:
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Michael A. Rubin
Affiliation:
SVA Salt Lake Informatics, Decision-Enhancement, and Analytic Sciences Center, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System and Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Karim Khader
Affiliation:
SVA Salt Lake Informatics, Decision-Enhancement, and Analytic Sciences Center, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System and Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Richard E. Nelson
Affiliation:
SVA Salt Lake Informatics, Decision-Enhancement, and Analytic Sciences Center, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System and Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
J. Kristie Johnson
Affiliation:
VA Maryland Healthcare System, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Eli N. Perencevich
Affiliation:
Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation, Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, USA
Martin E. Evans
Affiliation:
MRSA/MDRO Prevention Office, National Infectious Diseases Service, Patient Care Services, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC, USA
Anthony D. Harris
Affiliation:
VA Maryland Healthcare System, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
*
Corresponding author: Lyndsay M. O’Hara; Email: lohara@som.umaryland.edu
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Abstract

Objective:

To determine the rate of healthcare personnel (HCP) glove or gown contamination with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and to estimate which patient care interactions and HCP roles are associated with greater contamination.

Design:

Multicenter cohort study.

Setting:

Five Veterans Affairs medical centers in the United States.

Patients and participants:

Patients with a positive MRSA clinical or surveillance culture within the past 7 days were enrolled. Five HCP in the room were observed for each patient. After completion of tasks and prior to room exit, HCP gloves and gowns were cultured separately.

Results:

We enrolled 799 patients and obtained 3,832 glove and gown cultures. Contamination of HCP gloves or gown with MRSA occurred 713 of 3,832 (18.6%) of the time, while 589 of 3,832 (15.4%) of interactions resulted in contamination of gloves, and 319 of 3,831 (8.3%) of interactions resulted in contamination of gowns. The gloves and gowns of physical therapists and occupational therapists were most frequently contaminated. Any interactions that involved touching the patient resulted in glove or gown contamination in 622 of 2,901 (21.4%) of observations, while touching only the environment resulted contamination in 91 of 931 (9.8%) of observations. Rates of glove or gown contamination were similar in the intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU.

Conclusions:

Contamination of HCP gloves and gowns with MRSA occurs frequently when caring for Veteran patients particularly when there is direct patient contact. Hospitals may consider optimizing contact precautions by using fewer precautions for low-risk interactions and more precautions for high-risk interactions.

Information

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 46 , Issue 11 , November 2025 , pp. 1105 - 1109
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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