Medical Workwear: Application & Health Benefits

Proper medical workwear is an important aspect of infectious disease prevention. As a barrier between patients and staff, it protects both parties from harmful pathogens and also injuries. There are a variety of different clothing regulations and just as many types of clothing. Correct use and hygienic application in accordance with regulations are therefore very important in everyday medical practice.

What is medical workwear?

Medical workwear includes all types of workwear worn in the medical field. Medical workwear includes all types of workwear worn in the medical field. Depending on the field of application, and thus the field of activity, it is designed differently. The workwear can be composed of several parts or rarely be one-piece. Modern medical workwear usually consists of a top and trousers. The main purpose of workwear is to protect against infection. Medical workwear is used in various fields. Most clothing is used by nursing staff. This is followed by medical personnel and functional diagnostic personnel. The latter includes, for example, X-ray, endoscopy, sonography or radiation therapy. Health care and nursing staff work on hospital wards. In the medical service, clothing is needed for use on the ward, in functional diagnostics, in intensive care or in the operating room. Medical professional clothing is worn by all groups of medical staff and is mandatory in almost all clinical facilities. Psychiatric facilities, for example, are an exception. Because patients require much less assistance with personal hygiene, some psychiatric hospital wards, for example, do not require special protective clothing.

Forms, types, and styles

The areas of application of medical workwear are very diverse. Particularly in the clinical area, very many different forms of clothing find use. Frequently, the so-called area clothing is mentioned. This is work clothing that varies from area of use to area of use. However, the reason for this is basically not work hygiene, but the recognizability of different areas of responsibility. For example, operating theater undergarments, intensive care unit clothing and nursing station clothing are distinguished from one another. Classically, green clothing is worn in hospitals in the operating room area. In intensive care, staff often also wear green or light green or blue, and other nursing and medical staff wear white. This demarcation clearly separates areas from one another. There is a certain recognition effect. In addition to the area clothing, there is also additional clothing such as ward robes for doctors. These were originally intended as hygienic protective clothing for visiting patients. Today, however, they are usually worn throughout. The gown is only removed in the functional and diagnostic areas or in the operating room. The doctor’s coat is certainly the best known item in the range of professional clothing. However, in addition to such work-related garments, there are also overarching protective garments. This includes, for example, the infection protection clothing that must be worn in the isolation area, both by nurses and medical staff. Disposable gowns can be used here, but also washable clothing. It is used both in isolation, i.e., the separation of infectious patients, and in reverse isolation, the protection of immunocompromised patients.

Structure and mode of operation

The construction of medical garment systems depends on the application. The most common form is a combination of top and pants. This type is used in almost all hospitals today, especially in the nursing field. Some hospitals also still use the nursing gowns that were more common in the past. Denominational homes, in particular, sometimes still offer these garments. Common nursing attire is usually white. Colors are sometimes used to distinguish cleaning staff or employees of functional departments. Sometimes there is only a colored insert – for example on the collar – as a distinguishing feature. For example, pediatric nurses in some hospitals wear a top with pink inserts, in contrast to the blue or white of other nurses. The standard top in nursing is the so-called “Kasack” or “Schlupfhemd”.This is a buttonless top that can simply be pulled over. Under it is worn only underwear or undershirt. Such tunic has two to three pockets. Two large pockets are located at the bottom right and left of the front. They are used to store notes, writing materials, beepers or other clinical communication devices. Sometimes there is also a breast pocket sewn on, which can be used for attaching the name badge, for example. Because of the high throughput, professional clothing in nursing is changed daily and is usually not individualized. In other words, name badges on simple nursing clothing are no longer common in most larger hospitals. The situation is different for physician clothing. Since rounds coats and ward clothes are changed less frequently for physicians and generally fewer clothes have to be provided for fewer employees, these are often still provided with a “name tag”. For physicians, there is also often a change of clothing, for example for work in functional diagnostics or the operating room. Ward clothes are therefore often less used. Different garments are generally available for physicians than for nursing and functional staff. While radiographers and nurses often wear the same clothing, just colored differently, there is usually extra clothing for physicians. Under the robe, a so-called robe shirt can be worn, which is cut differently for women and men. This is not usually the case with nursing clothing. Also, the pants for nursing staff often turn out very plain and are not equipped with pockets or buttons. Instead of a closure, there is usually only a continuous closure band without a cuff. However, this makes them easier to wash. Doctors’ clothes, on the other hand, are often a bit more sophisticated, made of rougher fabric and still have buttons, pockets and fly.

Medical and health benefits

The most important task of medical clothing is undoubtedly the protection of patients and staff. First and foremost, clothing should protect against contamination of the skin. If the term clothing is also extended to include footwear, there is the additional consideration that it must protect against puncture injuries, such as from a falling syringe or surgical cutlery. Due to their high durability and washability, area clothing also contributes to a hospital’s profitability. Avoiding disposable clothing is an important point here. This is because when area clothing is used in combination with disinfectable reusable outerwear, it can completely replace the disposable variant. The same applies to the area and functional clothing of physicians and functional staff. Here, there is the additional factor that the clothing is intended to provide greater protection against bodily secretions. This is why they cover larger areas of the body – a surgical gown without sleeves would probably be unthinkable. In nursing, on the other hand, short-sleeved clothing is used in the field, if only because of the constant forearm and hand disinfection. So in general, clothing protects the person wearing it, the person being cared for by it, and if managed sustainably, the environment.