Frivilous Question of the Day

NetSteff · Jan 8, 2005

How come the gowns in the ED don't have snaps down the arms? Is it so they go on faster? Hate them things.
Tech in Transitional Trauma Unit w/ Visions of ED dancing in my head.

My BEST guesses are these.... the snaps are metal and you tend to do a lot of xrays on ER patients. Also, I imagine they cost a lot less--ER's are usually money pits for facilities so they don't "always" get a lot of money thrown in for "extras"

Trauma Columnist · Jan 8, 2005

We do have gowns with snaps on the arms - makes putting them on easier for the bedridden pt. (Maybe I misunderstood the question?)

CarVsTree · Jan 8, 2005

We do have gowns with snaps on the arms - makes putting them on easier for the bedridden pt. (Maybe I misunderstood the question?)

The hospital I used to work at, always sent the pts up in a gown with no snaps. I just started at new hospital and I think they have snaps. Just a silly quiestion. You didn't misunderstand it. :)

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Jan 8, 2005

I have used both and I hate the snap ones in the ER. I understand they are better for ICU and bedbound patients, but since the nurse is the one who has to "put the gown together", it is incredibaly time consuming to have to snap up each of those gowns when you may be seeing 30-40 patients in your zone alone in a shift. Most people are ambulatory into the ER anyway, and this way I can tell them to get into a gown without assembling it first. If they came from laundry already snapped, but otherwise, it is a huge time waster.

needsmore$ · Jan 8, 2005

We had both as well- many years ago the "snap" gown was for ICU patients- and in the ED we had the regular 'pull on' kind. When we would transfer our pt to the ICU-we were expected to change the pt into a snap gown for the ICU nurses ( this was about 15 yrs ago). After a lot of hassling, the ED started to receive snap gowns as well- and I agree that sometimes trying to snap them together in the morning before having any caffeine is a challenge-! Recently, we started getting regular gowns again-go figure! Life is a circle after all...

Anne

veetach · Jan 11, 2005

we have both kinds. Usually those patients with IV's get the gowns with snaps.

FZ1Tom · Jan 11, 2005

I can see how it would be a cost thing, espescially in the ER. My experience with them gowns (and I'm a big boy) as a patient is that they're simply difficult to tie behind your back (and isn't very modest anyway). When I was recuperating back in August and also in September, I simply used some extra tape to wrap the gown around me a bit better. Worked after a fashion, but messy. If a gown can be taped......maybe Velcro? Just a thought.

Tom