Survey of the knowledge and correct use of Scrub Suits, Gowns and Clean Air Suits in Portuguese hospitals

Abstract

Comfort in clothing is a growing concern in the textile and clothing industry and it must be considered when it comes to develop or improve textile products. In Operating Room (OR) clothing it's also important to consider comfort as one of the essential requirements of any equipment or device, because products are formulated normally just to meet the primary requirements of protection. The requirements of comfort are thermo-physiological parameters that allow the evaluation of textile materials and its behaviour, which is the basis for the development of new products and enable the construction of functional clothing systems which meet the needs of the user. This work aims to gather the opinion of health professionals in Portugal about the knowledge and correct use of scrub suits and gowns and is part of a major study about the use of Clean Air Suits (CAS) for controlled environments (OR). These type of garments are designed to minimise contamination inside the O.R. and in the same time not compromising the comfort of the user. As a result it was possible to perceive that the Clean Air Suit is a little-known clothing system in Portugal and that health professionals are not well aware of the features and benefits of it. Also, the clothing systems used today, in Portuguese hospitals, present several lacks associated e.g. with thermal comfort, showing that the portuguese health system need an incremental improvement in the relation of protection vs. comfort.