In last week's Nursing Standard (Callaghan 1998) we reported the findings of a study into the effectiveness of plastic aprons in preventing contamination of nurses' uniforms. As a result of the study, the author made a series of recommendations to the infection control committee in her area. Although some of these recommendations were acted upon, the major changes recommended were not implemented despite evidence from the study. In this article, the author summarises the findings and recommendations of the study, and examines potential reasons why major changes were not carried out.