Antimicrobial Functional Textiles

Most textile materials are potential substrates for microbial growth. In order to make textile materials suitable as functional materials, the microbial growth must be reduced to the barest minimum or quenched due to their undesirable effects; such as offensive odor, discoloration, degradation, mechanical strength reduction etc. Chemical finishing of textile materials (such as application of silver nanoparticles, quaternary ammonium compounds, chitosan, some synthetic and natural dyes to mention a few) is capable of imparting this functional property among others to the textiles. Although, mechanism of antimicrobial activities of treated textiles is yet to be clearly defined, but in most cases, antimicrobial action of treated textiles usually occurs through interaction of cation in antimicrobial agents with anionic charged microbial cell wall. Antimicrobial treated textiles are usually less prone to offensive odor, discoloration, deteriorating mechanical properties and make the consumers free of skin problems. In fact, they can be used as cheap materials for production of hospital gowns, hand gloves and face masks for containing microorganism borne diseases, such as the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Specialty Space: Breast Care Centers

As background, breast care centers around the world vary in interior design based on geographical location and the trends of the healthcare design process at the time of construction. However, at the forefront of healthcare interior design is the evidence-based design (EBD) process and the Universal Design (UD) guidelines. The Center for Health Design states that the EBD process differs from the linear design process, in that EBD uses relevant evidence to educate and guide the design decisions. The objective of this study was to support future EBD and UD use in the development of patient areas in breast care center interior design. The methods for this study incorporated an extensive review of the literature, examples of eight breast care centers around the world, observations, an interview, and a staff survey concerning the interior design of a local breast care center. The results revealed that using the EBD process and UD, to develop guidelines for patient areas in breast care centers’ interior design, directors could use guidelines to evaluate existing breast care centers or preconstruction for new breast care centers. This study concluded with design guidelines for patient areas in breast care center interior design. The recommended guidelines targeted the following features: robes (vs. hospital gowns), spa-like atmosphere, monochromatic color scheme, use of wood and stone, private check-in areas, wayfinding, room temperature comfort, seating comfort, seating style choices including bariatric, personal items storage, access to natural light, indirect artificial lighting, living plants, views of nature, flooring comfort, and wheelchair accessibility.

A study on the design of a wardrobe, for patients bed-ridden with cancer, applying the knowledge of anonymous design

The majority of human beings will be admitted to hospital at some point over the course of their lives. For the more fortunate among us, these hospital stays will be brief and will barely register as a significant experience. However, for others, being admitted for weeks or months at a time will be necessary in order to combat and recover from whatever it was that made admittance to hospital necessary. While it is easy to think of many reasons why a prolonged hospital stay might be undesirable, one that may escape our attention is the clothes that are worn by patients during their stay. Once a patient has been assigned a bed, they are often given a gown which they put on without thought and then lie down. The gowns that are given to patients are generally designed with healthcare professionals in mind. For example, in Japan pyjamas and yukata (bathrobes) are used as hospital gowns because they have a front opening that is easy to use during treatment and nursing care. In addition, the other gowns can be opened from the ankle to the crotch using the zip. Dr Naoko Fujii has focused her career on designing clothes for hospital patients and believes that there is a way to satisfy the practical needs of a hospital and the care it gives at the same time as satisfying the requirements of patients. She is now focusing her attention on this challenge.

Emergency Design and Production of Level 1 Hospital Gowns During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has induced a massive shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) across the United States. To alleviate the crisis, efforts to develop rapidly-producible PPE should be explored. Herein, we present the rapid design and production process of level 1 hospital gowns to address this dire shortage at a large academic healthcare organization taken by a team of student engineers at the University of Minnesota. We detail the collaborative process of gown design, considering its constraints (time, cost, material, rapid producibility, volume, and delivery), in addition to how material manufacturers and converters were identified to alleviate this crisis.

A study on the design of a wardrobe, for patients bed-ridden with cancer, applying the knowledge of anonymous design

The majority of human beings will be admitted to hospital at some point over the course of their lives. For the more fortunate among us, these hospital stays will be brief and will barely register as a significant experience. However, for others, being admitted for weeks or months at a time will be necessary in order to combat and recover from whatever it was that made admittance to hospital necessary. While it is easy to think of many reasons why a prolonged hospital stay might be undesirable, one that may escape our attention is the clothes that are worn by patients during their stay. Once a patient has been assigned a bed, they are often given a gown which they put on without thought and then lie down. The gowns that are given to patients are generally designed with healthcare professionals in mind. For example, in Japan pyjamas and yukata (bathrobes) are used as hospital gowns because they have a front opening that is easy to use during treatment and nursing care. In addition, the other gowns can be opened from the ankle to the crotch using the zip. Dr Naoko Fujii has focused her career on designing clothes for hospital patients and believes that there is a way to satisfy the practical needs of a hospital and the care it gives at the same time as satisfying the requirements of patients. She is now focusing her attention on this challenge.

190 Who is ‘Fit to Sit’ in Our Emergency Department?

Background Older admitted patients are at risk of deconditioning related to immobility. “Fit to Sit” is a simple change in the Emergency Department (ED) culture and attitude, promoting independence, maximizing well-being and improving health outcomes. We aim to describe the prevalence of patients deemed “Fit to Sit” who were in hospital gowns and lying on trolleys in our ED prior to the commencement of the “Fit to Sit” pilot. Methods An observational study was conducted prospectively, over five working days, to determine the proportion of patients present who were dressed and sitting out on a chair, opposed to wearing pyjamas (PJs) and lying on a trolley. Nursing staff familiar with each patient were asked whether or not the patient was fit to sit out in a chair. Statistical analysis was conducted with Microsoft Excel using the chi squared test to calculate differences between the two groups. Results Data was collected on 147 patients, median age 66 years (IQR 47-74). 82% were on a trolley and 18% in a chair. 33% were in their clothes, the remaining 67% were in PJs or hospital gowns. 45% of those deemed “Fit to Sit” were on a trolley. Patients 65 and older were more likely to be wearing PJs (p= 0.03), but not more likely to be on a trolley (p= 0.23). Patients in ED for greater than 12 hours were also more likely to be in PJs (p= 0.001) and on a trolley (p= 0.057). Conclusion Our study suggests that a significant proportion of ED patients are lying on trolleys despite being deemed to be “Fit to Sit”. Introduction of an ED “Fit to Sit” programme may alleviate deconditioning and promote patient independence.