Cloth hats in the OR

[ann1978]

How do your hospitals handle cloth hats from home? We currently have the colleagues cover with the traditional blue hats that are provided. If they can wear only the cloth hats how do you know they have not worn them for 5 days in a row? How would you explain that to the Health Dept?

[MsLeylaBar]

Our OR is not very strict on cloth hats. A lot of nurses wear them and I know almost all of us wear a different one everyday. Surgeons are pretty good at changing their hats too. There's a few surgical techs that are questionable. But no one is really doing the hat police job. We really don't have much problem with infection either.

[brewerpaul]

We all wear what we want. Everyone keeps them nice and clean.

[ewattsjt]

My facility recently underwent some changes with regard to cloth hats. At first they were allowed but the chief of surgery had a fit because a male anesthesiologist with long hair would wear the skull caps (surgeon cap). She had implemented a policy that only the bouffant (blue cap) was allowed.

Later our surgery manager allowed the cloth caps but only if they were covered by the bouffant. She sited the previous reason as well as not knowing if the caps were properly laundered (some either have one cap they didn’t wash or many of one style).

Now we have a new manager and she had a group to research through AORN and other areas looking for studies etc.. related to the caps and they only found only that it is recommended that after one wears a cloth cap, it is to be laundered before reuse.

I realize that we should use research and other tools but there is a common sense factors that we can use too. Ie. If my cloth caps are made of the same materials as my shirts etc.. and I launder them at home in the same temp washer and dryer and subject them to the same standard of care as my T shirts---then why can’t I wear my T shirt? It has after all been cleaned identically and made of the same material. The only difference that I apply is that I run an empty load of bleach behind the load of caps.

As you can see, we have had a variety of policies concerning hat wear. You do not know if someone does change and/or launder the hats. One would expect that the level of professionalism and being an advocate for the patient would be enough to follow the rules. As far as the Health Dept is concerned, a study would have to be linked to the caps or someone not laundering the caps. In other words, it would be hard to prove an association.

[JamieJCST]

Cloth hats are worn by a lot of people in my OR. The only stipulation is that they have to be covered with the disposable hats provided by the hospital.

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

"my" or were I am a patient, they wear cloth hats, and I have never noticed them wearing anything over them. I am glad they do to, when I was 17 when I was having my first surgery in 5 years, the cloth hat of the nurse gave me something to talk to the anesthesiologist while he was putting me to sleep.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

We are allowed to wear the cloth hats and don't have to put anything over them..IMO, the cloth hats work better for me because I have long, thick hair and it never stays in the paper hats. I've seen many people crumple up the paper hats, put them in their pocket and go out for a smoke. When they come back in, the hat goes back on..

In my specialty, we have a very low infection rate, and 98% of us wear cloth hats.

[Scrubby]

I also have long hair and the cloth hats are better at keeping my hair from falling out. I have to wear two of those disposable hats and not only are they uncomfortable to wear but they leave a red line on my forehead after wearing them.

[Booty Nurse, BSN]

Most people where I work wear cloth hats. As far as I know, there are no rules as far as washing them goes. I wear my hats once or twice before taking them home to wash them.