cloth hats

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 19, 2016

We used to be able to wear them. Then they decided they were an infection risk and they were completely forbidden- can't even wear a cloth hat with a disposable over top. Our infection rate has stayed the same, so looks like they were blaming the wrong thing...

iverina · Jul 19, 2016

We used to be able to wear them. Then they decided they were an infection risk and they were completely forbidden- can't even wear a cloth hat with a disposable over top. Our infection rate has stayed the same, so looks like they were blaming the wrong thing...

Wow. That's just crazy to me! I could see if you we're touching your hats then doing surgery or somethin.... wild!!!

The elastic on our disposable hats irritates me so I wear it over my scrub hats.

springchick1, ADN, RN · Jul 20, 2016

We can wear them but have to cover them with paper hats.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 21, 2016

The elastic on our disposable hats irritates me so I wear it over my scrub hats.

The elastic on our disposables is completely worthless. My hair would be better controlled with my old cloth hats that have an adjustable cord.

prmenrs, RN · Jul 21, 2016

As a former Infection Control Nurse, I'd feel better if I knew those hats were washed after each day; bring a clean one in every day. Hot water and bleach. If you get body fluids on it, change it. Yes, they're very cute, but you wear fresh scrubs every day, same principle. Hair is germy.

ChrisNZ · Jul 25, 2016

I work in a small hospital with 5 operating rooms. We are able to wear cloth hats, the hospital washes them for us daily along with our scrubs.

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Jul 31, 2016

Allowed to wear them free. Infection control just loves to go after the cloth hats but there is nothing backing this. Our infection rate is well below the national standard.

In places where everyone had to wear the paper hats, we had several instances of finding hair from staff in trays, on drapes etc. Just saying...

Crunchtime · Jul 31, 2016

generally it is an infection control issue unless your policy states. Cloth or personal cover hats need to be covered with the disposable one time bouffant caps

Detroit_OR_RN, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 2016

We are allowed to wear them, but they must be covered with the disposable bouffant caps.

I have long hair that I only wash every two or three days, but I wear a fresh cloth cap under my bouffant cap daily, so in my opinion, it's more sanitary than wearing the bouffant directly over my hair.

Since some hair sheds daily, I think two layers of protection from that is better than one. I notice that some people that only wear the bouffant caps frequently have hair strands coming out of the sides of the bouffant. The cloth caps help prevent this from happening. It reduces the need to touch your hair and tuck it back in.

prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP · Sep 30, 2016

Everyone wears the cloth hats in our OR but they must be covered with a the disposable hat.

heather carlisle · Sep 30, 2016

Per AORN Standard, the advice they give on cloth hats is:

A reusable cloth cap that is contained within a disposable cap may be home laundered, just as other personal clothing (e.g.,T-shirts) contained within the scrub attire are home laundered.

Even more important, in my humble opinion, is the guideline AORN give regarding removal of hair coverings, which states:

Personnel wearing scrub attire should not remove the surgical head covering when leaving the perioperative area. The purpose of the head covering is to contain hair and minimize microbial dispersal. When the head covering is removed, hair and microbes may be shed onto the scrub attire.

cloth hats

Scrubs hats