If you run a healthcare facility and need to purchase new uniforms for your staff members, here are two factors you should take into consideration before making your selection.

How easily they can be laundered

If the employees of your healthcare facility often treat people who are ill or who have compromised immune systems, it is extremely important to ensure that their uniforms are kept hygienically clean at all times. This means that they must be washed on a regular basis.

If you choose healthcare uniforms which are made from delicate fabrics that are difficult to launder, it will harder for your staff members to keep them in hygienic condition.

For example, if the uniforms you select need to be dry cleaned and your employees work long shifts, they may struggle to find the time to take their garments to the local dry cleaners.

Likewise, if your chosen uniforms are made from a material that will shrink if it is put into a tumble dryer, your employees may choose not to wash their uniforms as frequently, because they don't have the time to wait for them to air dry on their washing lines.

As such, before selecting a set of healthcare uniforms, it is absolutely essential to check the washing instructions on their labels and to only purchase them if they are very easy to launder.

How comfortable they will be to wear

Healthcare professionals tend to work long hours. Given this, it is important to make sure that you choose healthcare uniforms which your staff members will feel comfortable wearing for an extended period of time.

Ideally, the garments you select should feature fabrics that are a bit stretchy (such as jersey or nylon). Because these materials can expand, they tend to feel less restrictive.

On a similar note, try to choose trousers or skirts with elasticated waistbands and tunics or shirts with open, wide collars, so that the material will not pinch the wearer's abdominal or neck area.

Make sure to take the climate of the area in which your facility is located and the average room temperatures inside your facility into account when making your selection, too. If, for example, your facility is in a region with a cool climate and indoor temperatures tend to be relatively low, you should opt for long-sleeved tops and trousers, made from a heavy fabric that will keep your employees warm whilst they work.