A Review of Isolation Gowns in Healthcare

The healthcare industry is constantly under extreme pressure to deliver the highest quality care at a reasonable cost. To achieve this, hospitals and other healthcare facilities are implementing new ways of automating patient care as well as reducing costs and waste. One of these cost-saving measures is Isolation Gowns in Healthcare. These isolation gowns are designed to reduce the risk of exposure to pathogens for healthcare professionals and patients who are wearing them. In this article, we will review Isolation Gowns in Healthcare from various perspectives so that you can make an informed decision about their use in your organization or care setting.


What are Isolation Gowns in Healthcare?
Immunocompetent patients who are at an increased risk of contracting infectious diseases. Examples of these risks include: being admitted to a medical facility where infectious diseases are common, having a medical procedure that exposes the patient to pathogens, or being a patient with a pre-or peri-operative infectious disease. Isolation is used to limit the spread of pathogens between patients. It is a procedure that stops all activities that could expose another patient to pathogens (like touching, coughing, or sneezing). This can be done by wearing an “isolation gown”.

How do Isolation Gowns in Healthcare Work?
To understand how isolation gowns work, we need to understand how the human body is protected against pathogens. When a person is sick, the immune system of the body identifies and destroys pathogens like bacteria and viruses. However, the human body is also protected against its own microbes. This is called immune-competent protection. If a human is exposed to pathogens while wearing isolation gowns, the immune system of the body recognizes the infectious agents as foreign and destroys them. However, the human body is not exposed to pathogens. What happens? Pathogens like bacteria and viruses can be transferred from one person to another by direct contact. Pathogens that can be transferred by direct contact include blood-borne viruses like hepatitis and HIV and some bacteria like Streptococcus. Isolation gowns protect patients from pathogens that can be transferred by direct contact. However, pathogens that can’t be transferred by direct contacts such as viruses or bacteria are not affected.


Benefits of Isolation Gowns in Healthcare
There are many benefits of disposable isolation gowns in healthcare. Some of them are discussed below. 

Protection against pathogens - This is the most important benefit of isolation gowns in healthcare. When a person is wearing an isolation gown, the immune system of the body recognizes the pathogens as foreign and destroys them.

Protection against cross-contamination - Another important benefit of isolation gowns in healthcare is protection against cross-contamination. Different pathogens can resist antibiotics. Isolation gowns in healthcare help to prevent the cross-contamination of antibiotics by other microorganisms.

Limit the use of personal protective equipment - When a patient is wearing an isolation gown, the use of personal protective equipment like masks or gloves is less. This is because patients are already wearing isolation gowns.

Limitations of Isolation Gowns in Healthcare
There are some limitations of isolation gowns in healthcare. Some of them are discussed below. 

Cost - An important limitation of isolation gowns is their cost. They are only available in specialty medical supply stores. The cost of each gown is around $200 - $300. This may seem like a lot of money for a gown. However, these gowns are used for a very specific purpose. The effective use of these gowns reduces the number of infections in healthcare facilities by 50%. This is a very sensible cost.

Pre-existing infections - Isolation gowns in healthcare are not effective against certain microbes that are present before admission to a hospital. For example, Clostridium difficile is always present in the gut of healthy individuals. However, it becomes dangerous and harmful when it gets into the body in hospitals. Similarly, S. aureus is a normal microbe in the nose of healthy individuals. However, it becomes harmful when it enters the body through the skin or lungs.


Are Isolation Gowns in Healthcare Cost-Effective?
When we discussed the benefits of isolation gowns in healthcare, we saw that they protect against cross-contamination and direct contact with pathogens. These are two types of cross-infection that occur in healthcare. If an isolation gown is used properly, each one will be effective for around one year. In this case, the gowns can be reused for one year. Therefore, the cost of an isolation gown is $200 - $300 for a year. If we compare this cost with the cost of treating infected patients, the cost-effectiveness of isolation gowns is clear. For example, it takes 39 days to recover from a simple infection like strep throat. However, it takes 7 - 10 days to recover from an acute infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, the cost of treating a single infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus is $1,260. We can also compare the cost of using isolation gowns with the cost of other methods of preventing infectious diseases in healthcare. For example, the cost of a facemask is $20, the cost of a gown is $200, and the cost of changing gloves is $30 per hour. Therefore, the cost of proper use of isolation gowns is only $100 - $200. This makes it cost-effective for healthcare facilities to use isolation gowns.


How to Purchase Isolation Gowns for Healthcare?
Isolation gowns are available only in specialty medical supply stores. These gowns are usually custom-made for each patient. Therefore, to purchase the gowns, you will need to visit the store of a specialty medical supply company. The store staff will assist you in selecting an appropriate gown for your risk. The gowns should be comfortable to wear and should be free of holes and tears. The material used in the gown should be non-allergic and non-toxic. They should also have anti-static properties to prevent dirt and bacteria from getting into the wound. If the gown is not comfortable to wear, it will do no good at all. Therefore, you should purchase quality gowns at an affordable price. When buying isolation gowns for healthcare, consider the following factors:

1.Choose a gown that is true to size. If the gown is too big or too small, it will not fit properly. 

2.Make sure that the gown is durable and comfortable. It should be easy to put on and take off. 

3.Choose a gown that is easy to clean and disinfect. 

When selecting an isolation gown for healthcare, you should also look for a gown that has the following features:

Lightweight and breathable - This is essential for comfort and ease of movement.

Water-resistant - This prevents the build-up of bacteria and debris on the gown.

Easy-to-clean - This prevents the build-up of bacteria and debris on the gown.


Final Words
Isolation gowns are designed to protect patients from infection by direct contact with pathogens. Due to their use, healthcare facilities experience a 50% reduction in the number of infections. In addition, they are cost-effective as well. However, these gowns are available only in specialty medical supply stores. Therefore, they cannot be purchased by all healthcare workers. However, they are worth buying for those healthcare workers who are at high risk of infection.