Medical gowns are personal protective equipment that are used in the healthcare environment and designed to meet the needs of hospitals and healthcare workers. Gowns protect individuals from the spread of illnesses and infections while they are in close contact with infected persons. Thus, gowns are deemed an overall infection-control strategy.
There are several types of gowns including:
- operating-room gowns
- reusable isolation gowns
- patient gowns
- CPE gowns
- surgical gowns
- nonsurgical gowns
How the gowns are named does not matter. What matters is to choose a gown protective enough against the risky environmental conditions.
A surgical gown is a protective garment worn by healthcare personnel. It protects both personnel and patients from transferring microbes and body fluids.
Reusable Isolation gowns are highly protective and made of efficient filtering protective materials. These gowns are covered with special breathable membrane, anti-penetration and resisting organic solvents, acids and alkalis. At the same time, isolation gowns are so comfortable, reusable and designed to help you move and do your activities easily. They provide a moderate level of fluid barrier protection for frontline healthcare workers.
A nonsurgical gown is used to protect the wearer from microorganisms and body fluids in low risk situations. These gowns are not used during surgeries or invasive procedures.
Disposable gowns are great alternatives to reusable gowns and available in a variety of sizes. Disposable gowns are single use and more convenient for staff and patients. They maximise comfort and function as well as providing cost-effective options for healthcare facilities. Disposable gowns are cost-effective because they do not require inventory control or laundering compared with reusable gowns. These gowns improve infection control and general hygiene. Disposable gowns are non-transparent, designed to provide easier access for certain medical procedures and size-labelled . They are ideal for routine patient contact, contact isolation, decontamination or general cleaning. Also they are recyclable and fire retardant.
Disposable CPE Gowns are also called disposable plastic gowns CPE is an acronym for chlorinated polyethylene. CPE gowns are absolutely waterproof and are also called disposable waterproof gowns or impervious disposable gowns.
There is another type of gown but for patients called “patient gown”. The disposable short sleeve patient gown is to protect the modesty of patients undergoing diagnostic procedures like X Ray.
