C section attire

[jmdisque]

We are having a discussion between OB and the OR. At this time, our nurses are able to wear their own scrubs to work everyday. Until recently, we wore our scrubs to the OR for c sections. Now, the OR has decided we need to wear hospital purchased and washed scrubs to the OR. It is not OK to put a hospital washed gown over our own scrubs. We have to wear the hospital scrubs or put a white jumpsuit over our scrubs.

What is the practice at your hospital? I have an issue if we are in an emergent state and a baby is in trouble, taking the time to change into different scrubs. Is there a standard or some evidence anywhere that says hospital scrubs are necessary?

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!!!!

[alovelymother]

I believe the AORN standard is to wear hospital laundered scrubs in the OR. All OB staff at my hospital wear hospital laundered scrubs.

http://www.workingtowardzero.com/uploads/4/6/4/2/4642325/aorn_surgical_attire.pdf

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

AORN standard is indeed for hospital laundered scrubs. Our OB staff also wear hospital laundered scrubs for that reason- it gets them in the OR faster while still adhering to AORN standards.

[Fyreflie]

Up here in Canada we follow ORNAC standards which are hospital laundered OR scrubs. When I worked in a very small unit we wore our own scrubs but had OR scrubs available and tried to change unless it was a dire emergency. Both of my bigger units provided scrubs for us free of charge. I actually do still take mine home to wash because there are only a few that fit and because I'm allergic to the detergent they use.

[alovelymother]

Up here in Canada we follow ORNAC standards which are hospital laundered OR scrubs. When I worked in a very small unit we wore our own scrubs but had OR scrubs available and tried to change unless it was a dire emergency. Both of my bigger units provided scrubs for us free of charge. I actually do still take mine home to wash because there are only a few that fit and because I'm allergic to the detergent they use.

Doesn't taking the hospital scrubs home defeat the purpose?

[Fyreflie]

Yup pretty much. I bag them double straight from the dryer, take them to work and put them in my locker. Unfortunately they can't change the company they use (hospital wide) for linens so we just do the best we can. My old unit had scrub exchange machines and whatever they washed the greens in was fine (plus way more plus-sized selection!) but with the way this hospital works our purples are downstairs in a huge room and it's first come, first serve. After getting some rashes and not getting anything in my size a few times in a row I snagged a few pairs for my own...

[serenity1]

Our L&D unit requires us to change into hospital scrubs at the beginning of each shift and leave them at the end.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Yes, we absolutely change into the hospital/OR scrubs if we have to go into the OR.

Alternatively, the L&D nurses will often just wear the hospital scrubs all the time, rather than their own.

[babyktchr, BSN, RN]

We wear our own scrubs to work and then change for c/s into hospital scrubs. We do not have our own OR, so when we take the patient to the main OR, the OR staff takes over the patient (circulator, scrub) and there is time while they are putting the patient in the room to get changed and check FHT's. Not optimal, but it is what it is (not getting an OR anytime in my lifetime). We are looking into hospital scrubs for OB though.

Other local facilities have their own OR and their own scrubs that everyone changes into upon arrival to work.

[JStitt01L&D]

We change into hospital supplied scrubs when we come in so it's never an issue. According to OR standards you have to be in hospital laundered attire to go into the OR. We used to wear our own scrubs I'm glad we changed I hated going home to my kids feeling like I had body fluids all over my clothes.

[HappyrockRN]

I work on an LDRP unit, and we all have to get our scrubs out of a machine and change at the beginning of the shift, and deposit them at the end of the shift (although some nurses who just do postpartum will wear their own scrubs in). The detergent that's used on ours is pretty harsh, too - and even within the same size, the scrubs will range from wrinkly bright blue elephant skin (new set) to faded pale blue sausage casing (old and shrunken set). We just changed our policy so that we aren't allowed to wear our own scrub caps anymore, either...very sad

I do love not having to wash (or pay for!) my own scrubs, though. Plus the whole reduced rate of infections thing...that's nice too.

[lucyneel]

I work on an LDRP unit, and we all have to get our scrubs out of a machine and change at the beginning of the shift, and deposit them at the end of the shift (although some nurses who just do postpartum will wear their own scrubs in). The detergent that's used on ours is pretty harsh, too - and even within the same size, the scrubs will range from wrinkly bright blue elephant skin (new set) to faded pale blue sausage casing (old and shrunken set). We just changed our policy so that we aren't allowed to wear our own scrub caps anymore, either...very sad

I do love not having to wash (or pay for!) my own scrubs, though. Plus the whole reduced rate of infections thing...that's nice too.

According to our boss, AORN says you just have to cover the scrubs you have on, so we just throw a jacket on over our scrubs on the way in the OR. And our infection rate is less than 1%. We've been wearing our scrubs for about 6 years.