As a young girl, I underwent non-emergent surgery at our local community hospital. To help me prepare for my “adventure” my mother spent hours constructing a fluffy, pink and orange bathrobe. I remember modeling the pretty new robe in my backyard. My parents even took photographs of my new garb before we headed off to the hospital. Little did I know that upon my arrival, I would be quickly clad in a classic, faded, crumpled, cotton gown. My lovely new bathrobe spent that hospital stay hanging, motionless, on a hook across the room from me. Although I wasn’t able to don the robe until leaving the hospital for home, its bright colors and soft texture comforted me from a distance, during my stay. It was a cheerful reminder of life beyond the gray hospital walls.

Many years have passed since my introduction to hospital fashion. Yet, I haven’t witnessed any real change in patient attire. Must patient attire be frumpy and unattractive in order to be functional? Most of us are familiar with the usual choices of hospital gowns and pajamas. In order to accommodate IV lines, some gowns have snaps or velcro at the shoulders and sleeves. Most have the traditional tie at the back of the neck.

While closures made of snaps sound like a good idea, I have witnessed far too many snapping nightmares. If the gown is unsnapped when we pull it from the linen closet, we are faced with a confusing jigsaw puzzle of fabric. Trying to assemble the gown before placing it on the patient can be frustrating and counterproductive. But, trying to fasten it after the fact can also be problematic – especially if we have confused the sleeves with the neck or the front with the back.

Velcro sounds like a nice alternative. At one hospital gown website, I even saw velcro closures advertised as “deluxe” accessories to the gown.. Yet, my experience with velcro closures is anything but pleasant. This type of fastener is perpetually clogged with loose threads and lint balls. Often, one side of the velcro is missing or folded over. Velcro sometimes scratches fragile skin. All-in-all, velcro closures rarely contribute to the average patient’s dream gown.

For patient gowns, the most common neck closure is the cloth tie. Unfortunately, in my experience, these stringy cords are almost universally knotted. Some are torn off altogether, forcing creative nursing staff to fasten the gown by knotting together corners of actual fabric or leaving the gown unfastened altogether. A common patient complaint is that gowns are too often left open in the back, which can interfere with patient privacy. When fastening mechanisms are missing or unusable, this complaint is especially warranted.

The two-piece pajama offers a bit of a reprieve from the frumpiness, lack of privacy (and some men would say, femininity) of the gown. But, without snaps or velcro, we run into the IV line tangling problem. NAs are not allowed to connect or disconnect IV lines, thus a licensed nurse will have to assist in the pajama donning of an IV bound patient. Needless to say, this is not the most efficient use of our time.

Hospital attire is often marketed as colorful or attractive. Yet, in order to stay functional, it must be able to withstand regular, industrial cleaning. Cleanliness is a vital part of patient safety. Consequently, colors quickly fade and fabric integrity soon sags. Fasteners become worn and tangled.

Do you think that attractive attire enhances a patient’s mood and contributes to a better hospital experience? What do you think could make a hospital gown both functional and attractive?