Active Barrier Apparel: The Simple, Evidence-Based Workplace and Patient Safety Strategy

Healthcare workers often face the most dangerous work conditions and environments. Healthcare workers are at risk of becoming ill or infected by exposure to infectious diseases, and can be exposed to pathogenic microorganisms and fluids capable oftransmitting disease, which may become colonized and infected . Procedures are in place to clean and disinfect most hard surfaces that patients may come in contact with. Yet, the most mobile surface of all, the healthcare worker uniform is often overlooked. Uniform technology currently purchased and used by health services organizations and workers is outdated, and adopting new active barrier technologies is an easy leap forward in protection of both healthcare workers and patients. Currently, uniforms and apparel (scrubs, lab coats, smocks, pants, skirts and shirts), worn by the U.S. healthcare workforce are nonprotective uniforms.

During a work shift these non-protective uniforms and apparel have been shown to rapidly acquire and retain multi drug resistant organisms (MDROs) that can pose a significant risk to life and health . Additionally, many health workers are responsible for cleaning their own uniforms, which is inadequate in eliminating infectious organisms, and which is not completed after every shift as it should be.