Great News for Anyone in Hospitals
@whiteheather39 (24403)
United States
February 11, 2007 11:10am CST
This would be a great invention for anyone in hospitals, patients and hosital personnel alike. What do you feel about this?This new hospital gown could give patients a stylish cover-up plus a shield a gainst lethal bacteria known to lurk in hospitals where people are already sick and weak.
The patient gown has a wrap-around design--complete backside coverage--with an anti-microbial coating that controls the growth of bacteria, including multiple-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), or staph.
Now researchers conducting a clinical trial at University College London Hospital will test the gown's bug-busting ability on about 30 patients.
With the rise in antibiotic use, there has also been an increase in infections that have developed ways to outwit such anti-microbials. From 1999 to 2000, nearly 126,000 people in the United States were hospitalized with drug-resistant infections diagnosed as MRSA. The organism Staphylococcus aureus can dwell on a person's skin without causing major problems there, allowing it to go unnoticed. If the superbug gets into your body, under the skin or into your lungs, it can cause lethal infections such as drug-resistant pneumonia.
Ba-Alawi created the gown design while a student at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. With maximum cover-up plus carefully placed closures, the gown[image] facilitates access to the patient's body for examination and makes gown-changing simple. The result is less patient handling, which reduces the chances of infection spread between patient and hospital worker.
Unlike many anti-microbial coatings that kill bacteria with chemical poisons, Permagard uses physical stealth. On contact with a bacterium, Permagard rips through the invader's cell wall and annihilates it. The physical attack means bacteria are unable to develop a resistance like they could against a substance
8 people like this
18 responses
@rosesthorns14 (803)
• Philippines
12 Feb 07
i never heard of such hospital gown before. probably available in some countries most especially in some parts of america and middle east countries, and probably reached european countries too. i actually work in a prestigious hospital in the Philippines but ive never seen or heard such hospital gown worn by a filipino patient yet.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
12 Feb 07
It is still in the trial period not yet available in hospitals.
@AnnaB87 (761)
• United States
12 Feb 07
This sounds like a good idea. I think that the spread of disease is very bad. It is good that they are finding more ways to stop the spread of diseases.
Sometimes I think that the best places to get sick is by either going to a doctors office or by visiting a hospital either as a patient or as a guest of someone else.
1 person likes this
@nilzerous1 (2434)
• India
12 Feb 07
That's a nice trial I think. Hope such gown will help both the patients and the hospital personnel to protect themselves against infection. Being admitted to hospital and getting infected with some other disease - is so common in India. Recently, infection has caused complete blindness to nine person in a District State Hospital. So, it the gown alone can prevent it, it is more than welcome. But pricing will be another issue as if it is too costly then nobody would be able to afford it here in India.
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
12 Feb 07
How sad to think that money is an issue but it is not just in India many other countries as well. The insurance companies will be the first to get into the financial aspect.
@sunshinecup (7871)
•
11 Feb 07
That sounds incredible! The permagard alone is a great addition. I love the idea bacteria is destroyed removing the threat of it becoming immune to the protection. I think it a great improvement.
1 person likes this
@judyt00 (3497)
• Canada
11 Feb 07
That sounds like a very good idea, if it works. However, if people just learned to wash their hands more often, most of those bugs would be gone and the infection rate would go down by 3/4. They did a survey with a camera in two of Canada's biggest hospitals and found that the people who washed their hands the least were DOCTORS! So, If your doctor or nurse comes into your room and doesn'twash their hands before touching you, tell them to do so before coming near your bed!
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
12 Feb 07
How scary. I thought hand washing was the basic determent to health hazards.
@classy56 (2880)
• United States
11 Feb 07
its about time someone came up with a way to stop staph infection.these gowns will stop some of the infection but not all of it.but anything is better than nothing,as long the new gowns work.plus haveing a gown to cover your behind is something they needed long time ago.lets just hope these gowns work an can be use all over the world to help control staph infection.
@Eskimo (2315)
•
11 Feb 07
For use in Hospital then fine hospitals, need to be sterile. There is far too much MRSA been allowed to spread in hospitals. A lot of it caused by too much use of antibiotics, this has a chance of killing bacteria. Need to check that bacteria don't find a way round this as well.
1 person likes this
@babystar1 (4233)
• United States
12 Feb 07
That sounds like a great idea.I hope all the hospitals get the gowns. There is so many people that are in the hospital that get staph infections. This new gown would help a lot from all the germs that are in a hospital.
1 person likes this
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
11 Feb 07
what a wonderful idea. I hope it works and they become available world wide. The hospital is such a dangerous place. Too many germs floating around from so many different illnesses. I have gotten MRSA two times while in the hospital. I think the gowns would help in many ways. Thanks for the information.
1 person likes this
@sizzle3000 (3036)
• United States
12 Feb 07
This is a great idea. I would like a little extra in the back. I always hate going to the hospital because of my back end getting cold. The fact that this idea is being tested in a great step to try and control making an already sick patient sicker. I think that anything to cut down the chance of staff infections is a good idea. All precations should be taken to keep people healthy.
1 person likes this
@gypsylady28 (945)
• United States
12 Feb 07
This would be GREAT! My father was recently in the hospital for an abdominal anyorism. He was embarresed to ask the nurses for help back and forth because the back of him was not properly covered, and of course, he couldn't wear underwear because of the stitches and operation site. He also got sick while he was in there, and had to go thru a whole bunch of tests for staph, and some other new bacterial infections that lurk in the hospitals. Luckily, he didn't have any of those! Just for the patients modesty, a new gown design would be awesome.
@weemam (13372)
•
11 Feb 07
What a brilliant idea , this kind of thing worried me sick when hubby had his bypass last year , they tried so hard in the ward but people would sit on the beds and put things on the beds , I worried all the tome about infection , the staff were lovely though I must admit xx
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
15 Feb 07
That's a great idea!!! I know of someone who is in hospital right now after a near-fatal car accident. When my boyfriend and I go to visit her we have to dress in gowns etc. These would be great for anyone needing to visit a hospital.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
12 Feb 07
By scissoring I supose you might be referring to surgery but surgery has nothing to do with the topic of the dicsussion.
