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Gowns and drapes are used by the hospitals or healthcare facilities. Healthcare providers, to reduce the risk of patient-to-patient transmission, apply gowns to minimize the possibility of disease acquisition. Drapes are used during procedures to maintain the sterility of environmental surface, patients, and equipment. This article reviews the use of drape and gowns in hospitals. It includes benefits, costs and characteristics of drape and gowns.

Drapes and gowns have been used for more than a century by surgeons. Gowns are used as a personal protective equipment to minimize the passage of microbes to and from patients. It helps in minimizing expose of doctors to infectious agents, especially humandeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis Cvirus.

Doctors are at risk for acquiring infections during operating room, epically blood borne pathogens during invasion procedures. Infectious disease can be rise within the medical surgeons, / while contact with contaminated body fluids.

Roles of gowns and drapes in preventing infections-

  1. Gowns are used in surgery and while performing invasive procedures. It is used to minimize the transmission of skin flora from the health care staff.
  2. Cover gowns have been used for along time in hospital newborn unit in the faith that they minimize cross- transmission.
  3. BVB Gowns help in preventing cross-transmission of nosocomial pathogens.
  4. Drapes are used on the patient during invasion process to reduce or eliminate the passage of microorganisms from non-sterile to the sterile area. It helps in reducing the risk of infections.

Environmental impact of drapes and gowns-

  1. Both reusable and single- use drape and gowns have an environmental impact. Disposable surgical drapes and gown have proven practically essential during dynamic operations.
  2. They are resistive to germs penetration (dry and wet). In drape and gowns, hardly any germs are released.
  3. Disposable apparels have a high liquid barrier, which prevents transmission of infectious disease.
  4. They have a high robustness, tensile strength, and bursting strength in wet or dry conditions.
  5. They have a high absorbent and are comfortable to wear.

From the perspective of doctors, the patient drapes and surgical gowns used in the health care center have to form a germ barrier. Microfilament fabrics and textile laminates are widely used during the production of reusable drapes and gowns.
In the present scenario, drapes, and surgical gowns have proven secure, environmental- friendly, and economical in hospitals. They require low logistic efforts, especially in terms of comfort, temperature stability, and wearing. In highly dynamic operations with manyfluids, escaping it provides a high tear and bursting strength.

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