Brighten Your Whites: Using Medical Linen Instead Of Paper

By Author: supriyo banerjee
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Medical linen is one of the most important and underrated tools in the health care industry. Clean linens, like those provided by a hospital linen service, are the first line of defense against Metrically-resistant Staphylococcus aurous (MRSA), a bacterium known for antibiotic resistance, and other infections common to hospitals. Medical linen isn’t simply used for sheets and bed dressing; in many cases, it is also used for hospital gowns and curtains. They are more cost-effective than paper gowns, waste less than one-time use, disposable paper products, and are much more comfortable.


So, what does a hospital linen service do?

A hospital linen service will come in at regularly scheduled intervals and swap out soiled linens (soiled simply meaning used in this case; dirt and germs don’t have to be readily apparent for something to be soiled) for fresh, clean ones. It is a best business practice to wrap gowns and bed sheets to avoid any possible contamination to the patient from the storage environment as well. They will then take the soiled (or used) linens and launder, disinfect, and wrap ...
... them, making them once again ready for use in a safe, healthy environment such as a hospital or other medical facility.


Why Linen? Why not paper?

Cloth medical linen is significantly more comfortable than paper, thereby leading to a more relaxed mindset for the patient, who might already be experiencing enough stress due to the mere fact that they are in a hospital. In contrast, paper gowns tend to be itchy, uncomfortable, and not very durable. Not only this, but cloth medical linens can be disinfected, washed, sanitized, and reused, whereas paper is simply thrown away. Consider a patient that has to stay in the hospital for a week or so for a procedure. If that patient changes gowns once a day, they are going through seven paper gowns that get tossed into medical waste each week. Multiply that by the number of patients in the hospital, and you could be talking about a full ton of waste in paper gowns alone! Cloth medical linens, by their very nature, are more cost effective and less wasteful, and a hospital linen service that has certified compliance with Infectious Disease Control Standards can ensure that your patients, or anyone who uses, works in, or visits your facility, will remain safe and be at significantly less risk for contracting infections such as MRSA.

Kris Leeds is a freelance writer for Image First, a leading provider of medical linens, and hospital linen services. To learn more about their products and services, please visit Imagefirst.com