Exploring the perspectives of healthcare professionals concerning the use and utility of the hospital gown to develop theoretically informed behaviour change interventions

Cogan, N and Morton, L and Georgiadis, E and Butler, SH and Fleck, VJ and Johnstone, J (2024) Exploring the perspectives of healthcare professionals concerning the use and utility of the hospital gown to develop theoretically informed behaviour change interventions. Public Health Open Access, 8 (1). pp. 1-11. ISSN 2578-5001 (https://doi.org/10.23880/phoa-16000265)

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Abstract

The tenets of dignity, safety and privacy are potentially challenged when patients are required to remove their own clothes and wear the hospital gown for medical procedures. This study adopted a mixed method analysis informed by the theoretical domains framework (TDF) of healthcare professionals’ (HCPs’) perspectives (n = 2264) and experiences in relation to the use and utility of the gown. HCPs’ perspectives in relation to the impact of wearing the hospital gown on patient wellbeing and suggested alternatives and/or improvements to the gown were explored. Findings revealed that the gown was often used when it was not medically necessary. The categories of meaning and associated TDF domains were: (1) Adverse impact on patient wellbeing (emotion); (2) Lack of dignity (beliefs about consequences); (3) Increased sense of dependency and vulnerability (social role and identity); (4) Hinders patient autonomy and recovery (beliefs about consequences & reinforcement); (5) Reduced patient mobility (beliefs about consequences); (6) Feeling institutionalised (environmental context and resources, and (7) Positive impact (optimism). The need for alternatives and/or modifications to the gown with a focus on a person-centred approach to its design was emphasised. Obstacles to staff promoting alternatives to the gown and challenges to making institutional changes were identified. Behavioural change interventions aimed at HCPs’ practices associated with the use of the gown are recommended to challenge cultural norms and practices associated with the gown and to improve the patient experience.

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