Baring all: The impact of the hospital gown on patient well‐being

Abstract

Objectives. The importance of personalized and dignified care is increasingly being recognized in health care policy and practice. Despite the known impact of clothing on social identity and self-expression, the impact of hospital clothing on patient well-being has been widely overlooked. Patients are often required to wear hospital clothing, commonly a backless gown, during medical procedures and surgeries. The impact of wearing patient clothing on well-being, during this time of vulnerability, was explored.Design. A sequential multi-method approach consisting of two studies.Methods. Two studies were carried out to consider the impact of the hospital gown on well-being among adults with and without chronic health conditions. The first study consisted of conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews (n = 10) with adults living with a lifelong chronic health condition (congenital heart disease). The second study was a cross-sectional online survey exploring adults' views (n = 928) and experiences of wearing the hospital gown.Results. Qualitative analysis identified the following master themes: (1) symbolic embodiment of the 'sick' role, (2) relinquishing control to medical professionals, and (3) emotional and physical vulnerability. Quantitative analysis of the online survey data indicated that adults often reported wearing the hospital gown despite a lack of medical necessity. Its design was considered to be not fit for purpose and lacking in dignity.Conclusions. The implications of these findings for health policy and practice are discussed, emphasizing the importance of challenging cultural norms in health care since dehumanizing aspects of care, as symbolically represented by the hospital gown, may adversely impact on patient well-being. Statement of contribution What is already knownGetting dressed is a form of self-expression, which contributes to the construction of social identity, yet few studies have explored the impact of wearing hospital clothing on patient well-being.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Healing by Leaps and Gowns: A Novel Patient Gowning System to the Rescue

“…All participants reported high rates of satisfaction and decrease in embarrassment (12). Another study analyzed the impact of wearing patient gowns on well-being and concluded that the current design of the hospital gown is not fit for purpose and impacts negatively on patient well-being (6). Both papers, especially the latter, reaffirm the need for hospital gown change.…”

“…The palpable dichotomy between the pristine white coat of a physician and the revealing patient gown is another barrier and perpetuates the hierarchy within care institutions (3 –5). Clothing buffers us against environmental change and protects us in social contexts (6). To paraphrase the designer, Coco Chanel, “Clothing has 2 purposes: comfort and love.” A growing body of literature highlights external factors that impact patients’ sense of comfort in the hospital (7,8).…”

“…A more appropriate description might be “open and froze from your nose to your toes” (11). Additionally, the traditional gown thrusts the “sick” role on patients and loss of healthy identity (6). It has been documented that improvements in hospital gowning would improve patient experience and possibly lead to more effective medical outcomes (3,8,12,13).…”

Comprehensive design considerations for a new hospital gown: a patient-oriented qualitative study

“…1 Our findings about patients' priorities reinforce results from a 2020 multimethod study consisting of semistructured interviews and an online survey that focused specifically on patients' perspectives on gown wearing. 3 Regarding function, most patients reported that they struggled to put the gown on by themselves (64%) and that it did not fit (70%). With respect to dignity and comfort, most patients reported feeling exposed (72%), self-conscious (60%) and uncomfortable (57%).…”

“…Hospital gowns can convey a sense of exposure, discomfort, disempowerment, embarrassment, reduced self-esteem and compromised dignity. [1][2][3] As a result, governments, researchers, celebrity designers and private health care systems have made efforts to redesign the standard gown to improve patients' experiences. [4][5][6][7] However, design innovations have not been met with substantial market uptake; new designs are still being developed and tested.…”