Researchers developed custom, reusable isolation gowns they said could help ensure that gowns are available during shortages like what occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and help reduce waste.
They described the gown at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology conference.
According to a press release, the five-hospital Inova Health System based in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., used 3.1 million single-use, disposable gowns each year before the COVID-19 pandemic, amounting to about 213 tons of waste. Once the pandemic hit, these items were in short