Does the open-back hospital gown need a revamp?

Likening the 100-year-old hospital gown to a prisoner's orange jumpsuit, a prominent British doctor says the "alien, open-at-the-back garment" is in desperate need of a redesign.

Dr. David Oliver, a consultant in geriatrics and acute general medicine at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in England, says the gown's terrible design, which opens in the back, is at the heart of the issue.

The hospital gown as it is known today is roughly a century old and arrived along with modern surgery and anesthesia, according to the U.K.'s largest health-care textile supplier InterWeave Healthcare. Back then, patients were so sedated prior to being wheeled to the operating room that they couldn't undress themselves. The idea was to cover patients with something easy enough to remove without the patient's help.

In Toronto, Jackie Moss is among the latest to attempt a redesign. After suffering a cardiac arrest five years ago at 49, she spent a long time recuperating wearing a traditional hospital gown.


➤ Read the full story here:
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/un...

➤ Subscribe:
http://bit.ly/CBC-Subscribe


---


About CBC:
Welcome to the official YouTube channel for CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster. CBC is dedicated to creating content with original voices that inspire and entertain. Watch sneak peeks and trailers, behind the scenes footage, original web series, digital-exclusives and more.

Connect with CBC Online:
Twitter: http://bit.ly/CBC-Twitter
Facebook: http://bit.ly/CBC-Facebook
Instagram: http://bit.ly/CBC-Instagram


---


We encourage thoughtful comments and respectful discussion. Before commenting, please review our community guidelines: http://www.cbc.ca/aboutcbc/discover/s...