Fashion In The Operating Room

When a person thinks of fashion within the medical field, one thing always comes to mind, scrubs. These popular uniforms have become an icon to identify a worker within the field of medicine. Recently, scrubs have become further indented into our minds due to the level of medical drama television series which have recently graced living rooms across the nation.

The history of OR fashion has evolved constantly, but it has only been recently that it has evolved into the way we, as a society, now recognize it. Originally, doctors and nurses did not have any kind of specialized clothing until the twentieth century. Prior to that, surgeons would don their normal civilian clothes, before adopting aprons in order to protect their clothing from the bodily fluids. However, during this time there was a great lack of awareness of protection of both the patient and the doctors health, with surgeons performing procedures without masks, gloves or even sterile equipment, which allowed for infections to frequently occur.

As this awareness of safety within the OR was finally realized, surgeons began wearing cotton masks, not as a way in which to protect their patients from infections, but rather to eliminate the chances of the surgeon becoming exposed to any communicable diseases. During this time, OR attire had evolved into doctors and nurses dressed in white attire, as it gave the look of cleanliness and neatness. However, white is a magnet for dirt, which left these newly discovered scrubs looking messy and repulsive when they were introduced to blood and other fluids.

In the fifties, many hospitals began to abandon the white attire for a more appropriate and attractive green shade. This helped to keep those who worked within the medical field look more professional and clean, but it also helped to disguise any tell tale remnants of blood which they may have been exposed to. As the seventies approached, OR attire slowly evolved into the type of style we now recognize within the medical field. Short sleeved v necked tops and drawstring trousers became the norm by which all staff found to be more practical, as well as offering a level of comfort which is required when in the OR for a considerable amount of time. Although originally referred to as surgical greens, the new uniform become referred to as simply scrubs, due to the nature in which they were worn, a scrubbed clean environment.

Today, fashion within the OR has evolved to such a degree that now more colors and patterns are being introduced, enabling wearers to have their own identity within their separate departments, as well as giving them more attractive attire, which can also be enjoyed by visitors and patients alike. Due to the sheer amount of staff which can be found within a hospital, color coded scrubs were soon introduced with many hospitals sticking to the color green as a way to identify surgeons. However, in some other hospitals, this side of the hospital may also sport blue or red colored scrubs as their signature color.

Just as medicine has evolved, so has the way that those who work within medicine are perceived. Scrubs are not only used as a means to protect clothing from stains and mess and allow for a cleaner environment, but also help to give those who work within the OR and the rest of the hospital a sense of self identity.