Recommended practices for selection and use of surgical gowns and drapes

AORN Journal,  Jan, 2003  

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RECOMMENDED PRACTICE VIII

Policies and procedures for selecting and using surgical gowns and drapes should be developed, reviewed regularly, revised as necessary, and readily available in the practice setting.

1. These recommended practices should be used as guidelines when developing policies and procedures. Written policies and procedures establish authority, responsibility, and accountability. They serve as operational guidelines in the practice setting. Other AORN recommended practices addressing packaging systems, sterilization, creating and maintaining a sterile field, and surgical attire also should be consulted when developing policies and procedures for the selection and use of surgical gowns and drapes.

2. Orientation and ongoing education activities for personnel should include an introduction to and/or review of policies and procedures to be applied in the practice setting. Compliance with policies and procedures helps develop and reinforce knowledge, skills, and attitudes that affect patient outcomes. Policies and procedures also may be an integral part of continuous quality assessment and improvement activities.

GLOSSARY

Barrier material: Material that minimizes or retards the penetration of microorganisms, particulates, and fluids.

Heat-sealed patch: A patch of the same textile with an adhesive back applied to reusable textiles containing a hole or tear with high-intensity heat.

Isothermic environment: The surroundings, conditions, or influences that affect maintaining an equal temperature.

Nonwoven material: A manufactured sheet, web, or batt of directionally or randomly oriented fibers or filaments, natural or man-made, excluding paper and paper products, that are woven, knotted, tufted, or stitch bonded and have not been converted into yams. Nonwovens are bonded to each other by friction and/or cohesion and/or adhesion. They are designed as single-use materials.

Strike-through: Penetration of microorganisms, particulates, or fluids through a barrier material.

Useful life: The anticipated life of a product, such as a woven material. Useful life is affected by the number of sterilization processing and washing cycles a product can endure and yet maintain an acceptable barrier capability.

Wicking: Absorption of a liquid by capillary action along a thread or through the material.

Woven material: Fabric constructed from yams made of natural or synthetic fibers or filaments that are woven together to form a web in a repeated interlocking pattern.

NOTES

(1.) "Recommended practices for the evaluation and selection of products and medical devices used in perioperative practice settings," in Standards, Recommended Practices, and Guidelines (Denver: AORN, Inc, 2002) 305-307.

(2.) K K Leonas, R S Jinkins, "The relationship of selected fabric characteristics and the barrier effectiveness of surgical gown fabrics," American Journal of Infection Control 25 (February 1997) 16-23; Selection of Surgical Gowns and Drapes in Health Care Facilities (Arlington, Va: Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, 2000) 4-12.