Anyone who has had an overnight stay in a hospital knows that the donning of the dreaded hospital gown, with its thin material and a backside that threatens to expose your own, can be uncomfortable and embarrassing.
But that old-school hospital gown could be a thing of the past thanks to a joint project of the University of Cincinnati’s
Live Well Consortium and
Hill-Rom Company, Inc., a hospital bed and medical equipment manufacturer.
UC students and faculty from various departments teamed up with the Batesville, Indiana-based company to create hospital gowns that are more comfortable and better-suited to prevent infection, while protecting patient modesty.
There are several gown concepts that suit patients with a variety of health status, from fully mobile to bedridden. The gowns will be on public display during UC’s annual
fashion show on June 12.
Students and faculty involved in the gown project come from fashion design, research and innovation and management programs. Nearly three dozen students and faculty are involved in the project.
“There are a number of advantages to the UC designs created for Hill-Rom. It’s a product collection designed to fit a varied population, to be aesthetically pleasing, and to incorporate therapeutic qualities,” says Ann Welsh, UC professor of management.
All types of gowns are made from natural, anti-microbial materials such as bamboo or crabyon (a material made from crab shells). The fabric is both comfortable and cuts down on infection-causing bacteria.
Other features of the gowns include:
- Closures that more closely resemble a bathrobe belt instead of ties,
- Full backs, and front pockets in gowns for mobile patients
- Slit and closures at the shoulders that allow caregivers to more easily handle drug delivery tools, such as IV units for bedridden patients
This is just one project of the Live Well Consortium, a university-business partnership that taps the skills of UC’s design, engineering, medicine, business and other expertise.
The gowns could show up in hospitals across the nation. Ron-Hill has shown them to a company advisory board of national nursing executives who responded positively to them. The company also is researching demand, marketing and manufacturing the gowns, according to UC.
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: M.B. Reilly, University of Cincinnati
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