Influence of the sterilisation process on the tactile feeling of surgical gowns

More and more disposable goods are available in surgical rooms. Rules and standards have been proposed in order to prevent infection from patient to surgical team and vice versa. A proposed mandatory European standard prEn 13795 "Surgical drapes, gowns and clear air suits used as medical devices, for patients, clinical staff and equipment", is being developed by the Committee of European Normalisation and specifies the basic performance requirements and test methods for single-use and reusable materials after sterilisation process. Therefore, the performances of the surgical gowns demand a balance between barrier and comfort properties. In comfort evaluation, the tactile aspect is one of the most primary and important in regard to the grading of the products. Therefore, the influence of the sterilisation process on the tactile perception is important to be evaluated. Subsequently, the final aim of this paper is. to contribute to the knowledge of influence of sterilisation treatment on the tactile perception.