Individuals working in healthcare and social-care positions use scrub pants to prevent cross contamination. Scrubs must fit properly to ensure both effective protection and a professional appearance. Ultimately, a proper fit promotes the safety and well-being of patients and healthcare professionals.
What Are Scrub Pants?
Medical scrubs are specially designed linens that are intended to protect against contact with bacteria and other potentially harmful agents in the environment that may compromise the safety and health of healthcare professionals and patients. The garments are made of special linens that are designed to maximize functionality and cost-effectiveness while providing comfort to healthcare professionals and safety for all individuals within a healthcare facility.
What Is the Purpose of Scrub Pants?
Scrubs refer to the entirety of the outfit worn by healthcare professionals, but scrub pants, of course, protect the lower limbs. Scrubs have many purposes and benefits, including the following:
Protection against transmission of fluids: Scrubs can protect against contact with fluids, such as the bodily fluids of another individual. This makes them particularly useful in healthcare settings.
Economics: Scrubs are lightweight and cost effective, but they are designed to protect the body and to be washed many times without being damaged.
Comfort and movement: Scrubs’ lightweight and airy design makes them comfortable, which is important in stressful occupations with long hours, such as healthcare jobs.
Functionality: In any industry or occupation, scrubs are designed to be functional and to make a particular job easier and safer than it would be otherwise.
Identification and uniformity: Scrub pants also can serve as a symbol of a particular occupation or professional rank. For example, in a healthcare facility you can be reasonably confident that someone dressed in green scrub pants is a healthcare professional.
Protection against cross contamination: Scrubs are often manufactured in sterile environments and thoroughly inspected, which makes them safe for use in some of the most high-risk areas for contamination and infection, such as kitchens and hospitals.
Why Hem Scrub Pants?
Scrub pants are lightweight, baggy and airy. Although they are designed that way to maximize comfort, they also can be too big at times.
That’s when you will want to hem scrub pants for safety as well as comfort. If the pants are so long that they drag on the floor, they can impede movement. Additionally, if scrub pants are too baggy, they can catch on objects and cause spills or tear the clothing itself, which can compromise the safety of the individual wearing the garment.
In some cases, there may not be enough scrubs to distribute to all staff members, or the scrubs may have been passed down from a previous employee. Such cases often call for hemming the pants.
How to Hem Scrub Pants
Hemming is the act of using small stitches to connect pieces of fabric and hold it in place. You can hem your scrub pants if they have become frayed or torn or if you are tailoring them to adjust for your size. Hemming can help reinforce the edges of scrub pants, improve their appearance, or accomplish general maintenance.
Hem your scrub with any of the following methods:
Use a sewing machine. First, turn the pants inside out and position the fabric under the needle of the machine with the folded side up. Then begin stitching around the leg, maintaining a straight line. Repeat the same process on the other leg, taking care to make sure they are the same length.
Sew by hand. Using a sewing kit, thread the needle, ensuring you’ve made a knot at the end. Insert the needle into the fold of the hem to disguise the knot. Use the needle to grasp a small piece of the garment’s folded edge. Only sew through one layer at a time, making a stitch every quarter to half inch. When finished, make a knot and trim the excess thread.
Use sewing tape. Use this option if sewing seems daunting. Cut the tape to match the hem and place it between the pants and hem. Then use a hot iron to press down, which will fuse the hem. You also can use sewing tape as a temporary measure to ensure the hems are even before you sew them.
Rent Scrub Pants That Fit
You can rent scrub pants and have them cleaned and maintained by Alsco professionals. We ensure your facility’s scrubs are an excellent fit for your employees’ needs and that they always look professional and clean. We also launder and replace scrubs, so you don’t have to worry about your scrubs becoming worn or tattered.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you meet your uniform needs.
References
How to Hem Scrub Pants – 3 Methods to Alter Scrub Pants. (November 2022). SL Scrubs.
Medical Uniforms & Nurse´s Scrubs. (2023). Alsco.
Nurses´ Uniforms: How Many Bacteria Do They Carry After One Shift? (December 2012). Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology.
Role of Healthcare Apparel and Other Healthcare Textiles in the Transmission of Pathogens: A Review of the Literature. (August 2015). Journal of Hospital Infection.