A layered apron to prevent hospital infections

Filed in archive Investigational on August 15, 2005

Simple, yet effective? A "layered apron" to prevent hospital-acquired infections. Similar to Chinese restaurants who use layered, plastic tablecloths that are simply peeled off for the next customer:

Staff currently have to change their single-layered aprons between patients, which can be time-consuming.

Miss Bangal says her version would be much easier to use.

The apron is one of the entries into this year's Medical futures Innovations Awards, due to be announced later this year.

Miss Bangal said the apron she has designed would have 10 layers, including the base, so that it was not too thick for people to move around in.

There would be one neck and one back tie, then a layered front bib, attached by tabs

She says it is based on the same principle as putting alcohol gels at the end of patients' beds to reduce the need for staff to walk to and from a basin in between each patient.

("'Many-layered apron' may cut MRSA", BBC, Aug.15)