Dress for Success: Do Disposable Isolation Gowns Need a Makeover?

Session Description: Gowns are a ubiquitous component of personal protective equipment (PPE) in healthcare, used to prevent cross contamination between the healthcare worker (HCW) and the patient and from patient to patient in situations involving exposure to microorganisms, bodily fluids, and/or particulates. However, knowing exactly how well a specific gown will protect a wearer and a patient from contamination is difficult in an ever-changing healthcare landscape.

We recently completed a survey of HCWs with experience purchasing or wearing disposable isolation gowns. The survey goals were to: (1) quantify the frequency with which clinicians experience strikethrough, or liquid penetration through a gown, and how often they report it, (2) determine if clinicians feel they receive adequate training on gown selection and use, and (3) evaluate if gown usage in facilities aligns with current guidelines. Over two hundred individuals across the United States with experience either purchasing or wearing disposable isolation gowns responded. We will review the survey results along with findings from our physical laboratory-based testing and human factors study of popular models of disposable isolation gowns. Topics of discussion will include the frequency with which HCWs observe strikethrough, reasons why strikethrough might occur and why these incidents aren’t reported, and user preferences to account for in gown selection.

We will identify purchasing and training strategies that may improve gown compliance and decrease opportunities leading to translocation of bacteria. We will also reinvigorate the drive for improved regulatory test methods that capture real-world healthcare conditions experienced by gown wearers.

Infection preventionists and purchasers can use our recommendations to select disposable isolation gowns that are safer and more effective, enhance reporting strategies for gown incidents, and drive manufacturers to improve gown quality.