Quotes supporting the theme “gown economics,” reflecting the tensions between gown costs and design versus gown users’ needs
| Primary stakeholder group (primary domain) | Participant quote |
|---|---|
| Patient or family member no. 3 (bariatric) | I know it sounds terrible, but they [hospitals] want to spend their money on the machine [that] helps save lives versus a gown that is going to fit an overweight patient. |
| Clinician no. 6 (nurse in obstetrics) | You have to wear 2 [gowns] and I always give people 2 when they are walking around the halls because no one wants to have their back exposed. |
| Clinician no. 5 (physiotherapist in multiple units) | When they are walking — back, buttocks, legs, all of that can be exposed. It’s tough with the gowns because a lot of patients really don’t … what we did to get around it was to just double-gown, right? So, 1 in the front and 1 on the back in reverse, but a lot of patients really don’t like that because they feel confined. |
| System stakeholder no. 5 (textiles expert) | I know everybody hates them [current gowns] but my conclusion after supplying them for so many years and seeing that the basic design hasn’t changed … it is designed not for the convenience or for the comfort of the patient. It’s designed for the efficiency of the laundry processing … That [laundering] is the most expensive. That is the biggest cost in the life cycle of these products … Some companies here in Canada are putting a major push on converting everything to 100% polyester because it’s so much cheaper to process [dries faster]. |
| System stakeholder no. 2 (laundering, repair or disposal) | If you’re providing 2 gowns for dignity and the hospitals are billed on a per-kilogram basis or per-pound basis … come up with a solution that you have 1 gown that weighs more than an individual [but] that is a lot less than 2. You are going to give them some cost savings. |
| System stakeholder no. 6 (hospital leadership) | We have seen a surge in requests — polyester in itself has come a long way in the last few years. So, it can be brushed, it can be heavier weight, it feels nice, it’s nice against the skin and it’s still breathable, but the great thing about polyester is that it holds its colour and is very durable. |
| System stakeholder no. 7 (manufacturing) | I would say cost is probably by far the number one [factor to consider] and you know you are probably the eighth or ninth person I have engaged with over the years, who has attempted to do this. |