Healthcare workers (HCWs) wear uniforms, such as scrubs and lab coats, for several
reasons: (1) to identify themselves as hospital personnel to their patients and employers;
(2) to display professionalism; and (3) to provide barrier protection for street clothes from
unexpected exposures during the work shift. A growing body of evidence suggests that
HCWs’ apparel is often contaminated with micro-organisms or pathogens that can cause
infections or illnesses. While the majority of scrubs and lab coats are still made of the
same traditional textiles used to make street clothes, new evidence suggests that current
innovative textiles function as an engineering control, minimizing the acquisition, retention
and transmission of infectious pathogens by reducing the levels of bioburden and
microbial sustainability. This paper summarizes recent literature on the role of apparel
worn in healthcare settings in the acquisition and transmission of healthcare-associated
pathogens. It proposes solutions or technological interventions that can reduce the risk
of transmission of micro-organisms that are associated with the healthcare environment.
Healthcare apparel is the emerging frontier in epidemiologically important environmental
surfaces.