Assessing the physiological properties of surgical clothing to ensure thermal comfort

The aim of the task was to assess thermal properties of medical clothing in the context of ensuring thermal comfort of surgeons, and to determine, according to physiological criteria and subjective opinions, comfortable working conditions for individual protective clothing ensembles that were assessed. The task involved assessing thermal insulation of the 5 selected medical clothing ensembles (consisting of different parts of scrubs) on the basis of objective tests carried out with a thermal manikin and assessment of the parameters of the thermal environment in the operating theatre. Moreover, physiological parameters, physical parameters and subjective opinions were tested by volunteers - 2 surgeons during real surgery. The results showed it was impossible to unequivocally to say which clothing ensemble was best. The test revealed mistakes in the way medical clothing was constructed. The tested ensembles had high thermal insulation and considerable humidity (approximately 80%), especially in the space between the body and the clothing; those parameters cause the feeling of great thermal discomfort.