Medical gowns
are hospital gowns worn by medical professionals as personal protective equipment (PPE) in order to provide a barrier between patient and professional. Whereas patient gowns are flimsy often with exposed backs and arms, PPE gowns as seen below in the cardiac surgeon photograph cover most of the exposed skin surfaces of the professional medics.
In several countries, PPE gowns for use in the coronavirus pandemic became in appearance more like cleanroom suits as knowledge of the best practices filtered up through the national bureaucracies. For example, the European norm-setting bodies CEN and CENELEC on 30 March 2020 in collaboration with the European Commissioner for the Internal Market made freely available the relevant standards documents in order "to tackle the severe shortage of protective masks, gloves, and other products currently faced by many European countries. Providing free access to the standards will facilitate the work of the many companies wishing to reconvert their production lines in order to manufacture the equipment that is so urgently needed.
History:
The concept of PPE in regards to medical professionals was seen as early as the 17th century Plague doctor's outfit.
During the Ebola crisis of 2014, the WHO published a rapid advice guideline on PPE coveralls.Their findings are set out in a table entitled "Necessary pe
Personal protection equipment:
FFP2 facial mask or (in case of maneuvers at high risk of generating aerosolized particles:) FFP3 facial mask
Disposable long sleeve waterproof coats, gowns, or Tyvek suits
Disposable double pair of nitrile gloves
Protective goggles or visors
Disposable head caps
Disposable long shoe covers
Alcoholic hand hygiene solution
References
"Sequence for Putting On Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)"( PDF).CDC.Archived(PDF) from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
