**2. Performance features required in surgical gowns**

Surgical gowns are worn by doctors and nurses in the operating room to fulfill a dual function of preventing the transfer of microorganisms and body fluids from the surgical staff to the patient as well as from patient to staff [10]. These gowns, which are used to protect the surgical team, must have some protective properties. Most of the performance requirements for surgical gowns are clearly stated in the standards. Performance characteristics required from these aprons can be listed as follows:


Each of these characteristics can be measured in one or more "standardized" tests. These standardized tests have been developed by various organizations such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM; e.g. ASTM F-1670, ASTM F-1671), the American Textile Colorists and Chemists Association, the Health Industry Manufacturers Association, and the National Fire Prevention Association.

For the structural requirements of surgical gowns, structural analysis is performed first to evaluate the design features of existing products and to characterize the market. Comfort issues with product design are particularly alarming, as comfort is a critical product requirement for surgical gowns. While comfort is somewhat dependent on the permeability and flexibility of the fabric, it has a design effect. Researches done; emphasizes the sustainability of reusable gowns as they are more cost-effective throughout their life cycle in terms of production costs, waste and carbon footprints [17–19].

#### **3. Design analysis of surgical gowns**

Today, different gowns are designed to handle different surgeries. **Figure 1** shows the front and the back of a simple disposable surgical gown. The model and cost of aprons vary depending on the amount of protection provided.

The successful production of functional apparel products is a matter of a disciplined, structured approach to design and development. An effective, integrated approach proceeds through researching the design problem, defining design requirements and critical analysis of those requirements before arriving at a design solution [14].

Plumlee and Pittman [14] carried out a design analysis of 13 disposable and 2 reusable surgical gowns. They devised an analysis strategy to evaluate whether surgical gowns were of appropriate size. With this analysis, the model features of the surgical garments were examined and measurement analyzes were made. Kilic et al. conducted a study to determine the model characteristics of functional surgical suits to be worn in the surgical setting. For this purpose, samples were taken from surgical clothes used in hospitals in Izmir and design analysis was applied to these clothes. As a result of this analysis, suggestions were made about the model features and dimensions of surgical suits [20].

#### **Figure 1.** *Front and back of a surgical gown.*

The model characteristics (size-sleeve length, closure properties, etc.) and fabric properties of surgical gowns worn in surgical settings vary according to the characteristics specified in the technical specifications of the Ministry of Health. **Figure 2** includes various surgical gowns.
