Study ignites debate over safety of disposable gowns for healthcare workers - McKnight's Long-Term Care News

Disposable medical gowns commonly used by staff in hospitals and nursing homes provide minimal protection for staff against the spread of pathogens and disease, and reusable gowns can provide greater protection and offer other advantages, recent research has reemphasized.

A team of scientists led by Meredith McQuerry from Florida State University at Tallahassee evaluated the effectiveness of disposable gowns versus reusable gowns in preventing the spread of microorganisms and viruses such as COVID-19. Their study was first published in 2020 but has been getting increased attention in the industry recently as health systems become increasingly concerned about healthcare worker conditions.

Now,ECRI, a nonprofit focused on healthcare safety, is conducting a similar study. The organization began testing disposable isolation gowns after receiving anecdotal reports of “blood or other body fluids leaking through,” ECRI Engineering Director Chris Lavanchy told Kaiser Health News. Findings of that organization’s study have not yet been released, but Lavanchy said preliminary test results raise concerns that the gowns don’t meet safety standards.

“It’s an expected principle of infection control that you don’t want that body fluid getting through,” Lavanchy told the Kaiser News publication. “A very reasonable expectation is that if you do get liquids through, there is a risk.”

Researchers in the first study found that disposable gowns tear too easily, and water or bodily fluids can too easily seep through them.

“Overall findings determined that some disposable gowns on the market today are still not meeting AAMI PB70 performance requirements for healthcare worker protection, even after the Ebola crisis of 2014 brought this issue to light,” the study’s authors wrote.

While the vast majority of healthcare facilities in the United States currently use disposable gowns, the authors suggested that more providers consider moving to reusable gowns, which they say offer greater protection for healthcare workers and are more cost effective and environmentally friendly.

“The adoption of reusable gowns may result in increased protection and significant cost savings due to their superior durability and sustainability when compared to disposable gowns,” authors wrote in the study’s abstract.

The original study entitled “Disposable versus reusable gowns: A performance comparison,” appeared in the American Journal of Infection Control.