Clinical Experience with Disposable Isolation Gown Selection, Strikethrough, and Reporting

Area of Science:

• Healthcare-associated infections
• Personal protective equipment performance
• Infection prevention and control

Background:

• Disposable isolation gowns are critical personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers (HCWs).
• Understanding gown performance, particularly fluid strikethrough, is essential for effective infection control.
• Current gown selection and usage may not adequately address fluid exposure risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the extent of underreporting of fluid strikethrough incidents with disposable isolation gowns.
• To identify factors contributing to HCW misunderstanding of gown performance and selection.
• To explore areas for improvement in HCW education and reporting mechanisms regarding gown usage.

Main Methods:

• A confidential, qualitative, online survey was developed for HCWs with experience in wearing or selecting disposable isolation gowns.
• The survey link was distributed online from February to March 2024.
• Data from 211 survey respondents were analyzed to assess experiences with fluid strikethrough and reporting behaviors.

Main Results:

• Level 2 isolation gowns were most frequently purchased for nonsurgical patient care applications.
• Over 40% of HCW wearers reported having no choice in gown protection levels.
• 34.3% of HCWs experienced fluid strikethrough, but nearly half never reported the issue.

Conclusions:

• Underreported fluid strikethrough incidents indicate confusion regarding disposable isolation gown classification and appropriate use.
• Enhanced guidance on gown performance and selection based on fluid exposure risk is necessary.
• A unified, task-based framework and improved reporting systems are needed to support informed decision-making and infection prevention.