Can washing your hands with intention boost well-being? VA study puts mindfulness to the test
NCT ID NCT05261282
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
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343 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2022
- Finished
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Dec 2024
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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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.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX
Houston, Texas, 77030-4211, United States
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VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48105-2303, United States
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