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The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns towards domestic laundering of healthcare worker (HCW) uniforms; this is common practice in countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) and United States. Previous research suggested 4-32% of nurses did not adhere to laundry policies, which could be an infection control risk. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of UK healthcare workers towards domestic laundering of uniforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Online and paper questionnaires were distributed to HCWs and nursing students who regularly wear uniforms. Differences in knowledge between HCWs were analysed by Chi-squared tests and attitudes were examined using exploratory factor analysis. Results: 86% of participants (n=1099 of 1277) laundered their uniforms domestically. Respondents were confident in laundering their uniforms appropriately (71%), however 17% failed to launder at the recommended temperature (60°C). Most participants (68%) would prefer their employer launder their uniforms, with mixed negative emotions towards domestic laundering. Limited provision of uniforms and changing/storage facilities were a barrier to following guidelines. Conclusion: Most HCWs domestically launder their uniforms, despite a preference for professional laundering. One-fifth of HCWs deviated from the UK National Health Service uniform guidelines; onsite changing facilities were the most significant barrier towards adherence.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and pose a major economic burden. Infection control is therefore important in healthcare environments to minimize the transmission of microorganisms. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used to provide protection to both wearer and patient from contaminants in a healthcare setting. Reusable PPE such as healthcare worker uniforms are common; however microorganisms are able to survive on textiles for days, indicating that insufficient decontamination of reusable clothing could transmit HAIs. Adequate laundering of reusable items is therefore a necessary infection control measure. Antimicrobial coatings offer a potential solution to the contamination of reusable textile items. However, research is needed to validate their efficacy in healthcare settings and assurances of their durability are needed to support their use for infection control purposes.

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link. Many essential oil components are known to possess broad spectrum antimicrobial activity, including against antibiotic resistant bacteria. These compounds may be a useful source of new and novel antimicrobials. However, there is limited research on the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of essential oil compounds, which is important for target identification and lead optimization. This study aimed to elucidate SARs of essential oil components from experimental and literature sources. Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of essential oil components were determined against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus using a microdilution method and then compared to those in published in literature. Of 12 essential oil components tested, carvacrol and cuminaldehyde were most potent with MICs of 1.98 and 2.10 mM, respectively. The activity of 21 compounds obtained from the literature, MICs ranged from 0.004 mM for limonene to 36.18 mM for α-terpineol. A 3D qualitative SAR model was generated from MICs using FORGE software by consideration of electrostatic and steric parameters. An r2 value of 0.807 for training and cross-validation sets was achieved with the model developed. Ligand efficiency was found to correlate well to the observed activity (r2 = 0.792), while strongly negative electrostatic regions were present in potent molecules. These descriptors may be useful for target identification of essential oils or their major components in antimicrobial/drug development.