Health System Rolls Out 35,000 New Hospital Gowns That Cover Butts
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Say so long to that draft in the back. A Detroit-based health system is rolling out a hospital gown that aims to offer more style and fix a lack of rear coverage by other gowns.
Resembling a wrap-around robe, the "Model G" gown closes the once-drafty back, using adjustable snaps on the front and along the shoulders.
Henry Ford Health System said Thursday that more than 35,000 gowns are going to its hospitals this month; and, according to a news release, patients in several hospital inpatient units "already are comfortably wearing Model G."
The gown is made by Michigan-based Carhartt from a cotton-poplin blend for improved comfort. It was developed by the Henry Ford Innovation Institute at Henry Ford Hospital. A version was introduced in 2013 and a revised design was unveiled last year.
"The front of the gown has two rows of snaps, which allows you to adjust between two different sizes, ranging all the way from a medium to approximately about a 2X," said Michael Forbes, a product designer at the Henry Ford Innovation Institute and graduate of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
"The back in closed, except for one access point panel, which allows clinicians to access skin, breathing treatments, etc."
The cost to manufacture and purchase the new gown is very comparable to existing gowns, Forbes said. Laundering is exactly the same too; the new gown meets with current national hospital cleaning standards.
"A simple change can have a large impact on the patients' stay at a hospital," Forbes said. The "No. 1 goal was to close the backside of the gown."
So what do patients think?
"It's comfortable; you can't see my back end," said Cindy Clark of Lansing, who is recovering from a liver transplant.
She modeled the Model G for remembers of the media Thursday.
"I want to take one home," she joked.
The gown's "Model G" name is a tribute to auto industry pioneer Henry Ford and his Model T.
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