Medical Clothing: Beneficial Applications for Health And Well-being

July 2016 | 52 pages | ID: M3873374FB9EN
Textiles Intelligence Ltd

Abstracts

Health care authorities around the world face the dual challenge of preventing illnesses and finding new ways of treating them in a cost effective manner. Medical protective clothing plays a crucial part in infection prevention and control, particularly for health care workers who are especially vulnerable to the threats of infection. However, the development of such clothing which is inexpensive, protective and comfortable to wear is considered to be a significant challenge and this, in turn, is driving innovations in textile technology. On the other hand, there is demand for higher levels of patient care and many people are looking for more convenient ways of managing their health. As such, several companies have used the latest advances in wearable technology to develop garments which can monitor the health of the wearer. Indeed, the use of such products is becoming increasingly widespread, and many experts believe that wearable technology could radically change the way health care is delivered. This report provides a wealth of information on various types of medical protective clothing, its properties, and its role in infection prevention and control. Also, the report analyses the latest developments in medical protective clothing, and in clothing and accessories for monitoring health and well-being. Furthermore, the report identifies key market trends and presents an outlook for the future.

Contents

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

HEALTH CARE PROVISION

MEDICAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

Market size and growth
Purposes of medical protective clothing
Minimising the risk of infection and cross-infection
Protecting the wearer from exposure to the body fluids of a patient, and to chemicals and hazardous substances
Conveying a professional and authoritative image
Wearers of medical protective clothing

DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

ROLE OF MEDICAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IN INFECTION

PREVENTION AND CONTROL

Areas where cross-infection poses a risk
Potential of medical protective clothing to cause cross-infection
Effect of laundering on the presence of microorganisms

GARMENTS AND ACCESSORIES WORN BY HEALTH CARE

WORKERS

Highly protective garments and accessories
Traditional medical uniforms
Gowns and coveralls
Gowns
Coveralls
Scrubs
Surgical scrubs
Non-surgical scrubs
Standard issue scrubs
Full body suits
Laboratory coats
Accessories worn by health care workers
Gloves
Footwear covers
Independent sleeves
Safety glasses and face shields
Surgical masks
Disposable plastic aprons
Scrub hats

ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES OF MEDICAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

Barrier protection
Antimicrobial action
Comfort
Practical design
Compatibility with other items of PPE
Appropriate size and fit
Ease of donning and removal
Durability
Resistance to undesirable effects
Resistance to linting
Flame resistance
Static resistance
Stain resistance
Wrinkle resistance
Aesthetic appeal
Colours used for medical protective clothing
Patterns used for medical protective clothing

FABRICS USED IN MEDICAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

Cotton
Bamboo
Polyester
Fibre blends
High performance fabrics for reusable surgical wear
Nonwovens
Spunlace
Spunbond/meltblown/spunbond (SMS) polypropylene
Polyethylene

REGULATION OF MEDICAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

Compliance with ppe regulations

INNOVATIONS IN FABRICS, CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES FOR

THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF INFECTION

Ahlstrom: VaporCool
Aksigen: ARMA
Cardinal Health: SmartGown
Halyard Health: Aero Blue*
The Hohenstein Institute and wfk – Institut f?r Angewandte Forschung: reusable surgical gowns for medical staff
Johns Hopkins University and DuPont: Ebola protection suit
Lakeland Industries: ChemMax
Lifethreads: Contego
Operating Room Innovations: Solofit
Sneeve: disposable antimicrobial sleeve for children
Strategic Partners: new generation of medical apparel with antimicrobial and fluid barrier properties

CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES FOR HEALTH MONITORING AND

WELL-BEING

Bomedus: Lower Back
Drexel University: new belly band to monitor uterine contractions and foetal heart rate in pregnant women
EMPA and Schiller: ECG belt
Esp?re Healthcare: DermaSilk
Fraunhofer IIS and Fraunhofer ISC: pressure monitoring stocking for use by diabetes patients
Fraunhofer IPK and Fraunhofer IZM: CareJack orthosis
Freudenberg Performance Materials: SensorBelt
Institute of Textiles and Clothing: clothing for the relief of eczema
Johns Hopkins University: shirt which delivers shocks to patients experiencing serious heart problems
Nottingham Trent University: gloves for sufferers of Raynaud’s phenomenon
Schoeller Textil: iLoad
Sigvaris: Eversoft
TWare: Tjacket
Zoll: LifeVest

OUTLOOK

List Of Tables

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Penetration of blood-borne pathogens through a substrate
Table 2: Seam constructions commonly used in medical protective clothing
Table 3: Examples of medical protective clothing standards and guidelines

List Of Figures

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Surgical gown
Figure 2: Coverall
Figure 3: Scrubs
Figure 4: Full body suit
Figure 5: Lab coat
Figure 6: SMS fabric
Figure 7: CareJack
Figure 8: Tjacket system
Figure 9: LifeVest