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Can washing your hands with intention boost well-being? VA study puts mindfulness to the test

NCT ID NCT05261282

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This completed study tested a simple idea: what if doctors and nurses used hand washing as a cue to practice mindfulness? 343 VA physicians and nurses took part. Some received mindfulness education, group discussions, and an optional app, while others did not. The goal was to see if this approach could increase mindfulness, improve well-being, and boost proper hand hygiene. The study measured these outcomes right after the program and again later to see if any benefits lasted.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
mindful hand hygiene (behavioural intervention)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a simple, low-cost way to improve healthcare worker well-being and infection control.
What could go wrong
This is a small, completed study without a treatment phase, so results may not apply broadly. The intervention is behavioural and effects may be modest or short-lived.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

343 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Nov 2022

Finished

Dec 2024

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Nurses on participating unit * Physician on an inpatient medical team, including attending, senior resident, and intern physicians Exclusion Criteria: * Medical students * Surgical attendings * Physicians on sub-specialty teams

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Burnout, Psychological Psychological Well-Being

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Burnout Mental health

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX

    Houston, Texas, 77030-4211, United States

  • VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI

    Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48105-2303, United States

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