In a medical setting, attire becomes instrumental in maintaining hygiene and the safety of patients and healthcare professionals. A scrub suit is quite a common uniform for medical personnel; however, all scrub suits are not the same. In fact, a great deal of difference exists between surgical scrub suits and regular ones; both types have their functions within the healthcare environment. This article covers these differences based on design, purpose, and implications for infection control.
What are scrub suits?
Scrub suits are special outfits worn by doctors and people involved in health-related professions, mainly in hospitals and clinics. They are designed to be comfortable and functional and can be easily laundered. The term “scrub suit” applies to two types of clothes: regular scrub suits and surgical scrub suits. While both types of clothes are very important in maintaining cleanliness and cleanliness in a work environment, they are slightly different in terms of design and use.
Everyday Scrub Suits
Everyday work wear in hospitals is seen in the regular scrub suits, which are the uniforms of the nurses, medical assistants, and general practitioners. In the name of being practical, the regular scrub suits are made for ease, to be practical, to accommodate necessary abilities to move with freedom, and to provide good airflow for wearers in their sometimes quite long shifts. Generally, the following features are digested by the regular scrub suits:
Material: The most common material used for the manufacture of ordinary scrub suits is in the blending of cotton and polyester. Cotton ensures comfort and is easy to care for, while polyester helps in providing durability as well as a wrinkle-free look. It is breathable, sews comfortably, and adds strength and wrinkle resistance.
Design: Ordinary scrub suits come generally in the form of a short-sleeve top and pants. A popular variety is a V-neck top. It has an elastic or drawstring waist for convenience.
Color and Patterns Normal scrub suits come in various colors and patterns. It is normal for hospitals to have color-coding to help in differentiating between different departments or roles. The choice in colors and patterns will generally be greater in variation and not as standardized for normal scrubs compared to surgical scrub suits.
Use: Regular scrubs are employed commonly in medical wards, outpatient clinics, and administration areas of health facilities. They are aimed for areas where the exposure of professionals to body fluids and pathogens is much less common than it is in operating rooms.
Surgical Scrub Suits
Surgical scrub suits are worn in sterile environments like operating theatres. They form an integral part of infection control and are thus governed by stringent standards that ensure the utmost hygiene levels. They are characterized by the following features:
Material: Most surgical scrub suits in use are made of fluid-resistant, high-quality material. Such suits often comprise a mix between polyester and cotton; however, the fabrics used are treated or otherwise coated to make them repel fluids and contaminants. The choice of material used in making them is critical to prevent infection transmission.
Design: Surgical scrub suits are designed much more precisely than regular scrub suits. It includes long-sleeved tops and pants with additional cuffs and places that have been reinforced. The top will have snap or tie closures to hold it tight, which reduces the chances of exposure of the sterile field.
Color and Patterns: Most surgical scrub suits are normally in blockade colors—majorly green and blue. This can be standardized to project fewer stimuli in the operating room, which is less distracting and therefore helps in creating an atmosphere to focus.
These suits are worn in operating rooms and all other sterile environments where the chances of infection could be higher. Design considerations and material choices minimize the contamination of the sterile field and act as a barrier to exposure by infectious agents.
Infection Control and Sterility
Surgical scrub suits are very different from standard scrub suits in their role; that is, they play a fundamental role in infection control. The most important feature of surgical scrub suits is the maximum sterility they provide. Some crucial features include:
Barrier Properties: Surgical scrub suits are designed with fluid resistance. They prevent blood and body fluids, as well as other pathogens from a patient, during surgical contact. They help to keep the operative environment sterile.
Sterilization: Surgical scrub suits are mostly sanitized before use so that they do not contain any type of microorganisms. Other personal protective equipment, such as surgical masks and gloves, are also worn over the garment to promote infection control.
Single Use vs Reuse: Even though surgical scrub suits can be used again after decontamination, they are more commonly used once in high-risk settings. On the other hand, regular scrub suits are washed and reused several times.
Comfort and Practicality
Although comfort and practicality are found in both kinds of scrub suits, they are given preference in a different manner for each:
Regular Scrub Suits: As they are worn throughout the day, more emphasis is paid to comfort, ease of movement, and breathability. The materials blended in them make them comfortable enough to be worn for extended hours and practiced in a variety of tasks and settings.
Surgical Scrub Suits: Comfort still comes into play with these, but functionality and protection is of equal—if not greater—importance. Designs might be altogether less about comfort and more about the integrity of the suit, staying intact, and, therefore, performing its purpose to keep contaminants at bay.
The key differences between surgical scrub suits and regular scrubs, therefore, lie in their purposes and the environments in which they are used. Surgical scrub suits are designed for sterile environments with strict specifications for infection control and barrier protection. Regular scrub suits, though for hygiene purposes as well, are designed for general medical settings where the risk of contamination is low.
Knowing the differences helps to understand why some medical professionals are required to be attired properly for their roles, a point carried to the overall patient safety and effective infection control practices.
In addition to manufacturing scrub suits for the healthcare business, Retter Workwear is a global manufacturer of various uniforms.
