Most people are familiar with the medical garment known as “scrubs.” On television and in the movies they are probably the most common costume subscribed to roles in the medical field. While you can probably recognize a “scrub” when you visit a doctor’s office or hospital, you may not be aware that many nurses, surgeons, and doctors actually wear disposable scrubs and not something that is reused over and over again. When you think about it, though, this should make a lot of sense since you wouldn’t want to be exposed to the same dangerous infections that other patients might have.
Disposable scrubs help to ensure that a doctor isn’t exposed to these infections either. While the garments appear to be lightweight they are of the strongest integrity. In fact, many are three times as resilient as reusable scrubs; providing more security against potential cross-contamination. This is partially due to the tough synthetic fabric used to make them, but also because they are never laundered and thus the integrity of the fabric is never threatened like it is with clothing that is washed all the time.
Disposable scrubs are also beneficial because they function well in all environments. It doesn’t matter if they are wet or dry or if it is warm or cool, they continue to offer the same resistance against cross-contamination. On top of being lightweight and breathable they are also smooth and wrinkle-free, so they also look good at all times too. While this isn’t nearly as important as safety, it certainly helps medical professionals to continue looking professional.
Another reason why disposable scrubs are so beneficial is because they have not been known to generate allergenic responses in doctors or patients. This means that no matter what your ailment might be, you do not have to worry about further irritation from seasonal or environmental allergens. Of course, cloth-based uniforms collect lint, dust, dander, pollen, and whatever else might wander in through a window or carried in on a patient. When they are washed they produce more lint and collect more dust.
One of the greatest benefits that these garments provide, though, is that they save hospitals a lot of money on laundry. Hospitals already have to wash bed sheets, pillows, towels and other garments, so using inexpensive disposable examination wear and other garments reduces materials costs and the utility cost of electricity and water. Of course, this helps to conserver water too.