Shoe covers are an important part of the medical uniform not only for doctors and other medical staff, but also for ordinary visitors and patients. And now specialized shoe covers are used not only for their intended purpose. They were upgraded to enhance the fishing suits. This kind of shoe helpers are made from a more durable material, and their production is put on stream.
But for most of the inhabitants, the presented assistants for keeping clean and protecting the legs are known from visits to medical institutions. Signs with text like “Put on shoe covers when entering the department” are familiar to many. Each such put on “shoes” allows you to increase the level of cleanliness and sterility in the hospital. Some medical or preventive institutions are accustomed to installing a special device that gives out a special “uniform” in pairs. Previously, the technical staff puts disposable foot “covers” into the device, so that later each visitor has the opportunity to take the right amount for himself.
Why are shoe covers needed?
Regardless of what the price is set for such “guardians of purity”, the materials for their creation remain almost identical. Real medical shoe covers are made from artificially created chemical materials. Most often these are polyethylene options. Putting them on is not difficult. It is not for nothing that the developers even make original children’s covers that the baby is able to pull on independently without outside help.
Their principle remains identical to adult models, but only the sizes change. The “spare shoes” themselves are special bags that are usually pulled right over the shoes. At the edges, they have an elastic border or elastic band to better fit the foot.
Low variations are considered philistine. They are worn when patients visit medical institutions. But the high versions are more suitable for professional medical practice. They are prescribed to wear the rules of work in the operating room. Such a zone is called the area of absolute sterility, which includes not only the immediate area around the operating table. A distance of one and a half meters near the table is also included in the concept of the zone of absolute sterility.
Such polyethylene models are really durable, because specialists have to carry out even many hours of operations, observing ideal operating conditions. Also, doctors are required to use shoe covers in the territory, which is also called the zone of relative sterility. It includes the entire operating room. The exception is perhaps the above-mentioned perimeter near the table, where special requirements apply.
The list of this area also includes a visit where the preparation of tools for subsequent radical interventions is carried out, as well as related supplies are stored. In the same place, a container is often installed, which provides for the mechanical issuance of the presented “uniform” at the request of a person. To save space, many hospitals use a wall-mounted unit, which is the most convenient.
The third most important is the zone of limited sterility. This includes two rooms:
- intensive care;
- resuscitation.
It makes absolutely no difference here: whether the winter months are in the yard along with slush, sleet and mud, or dry summer. You still have to put on shoe covers to see the patient.
The last place in terms of sterility for the use of shoe covers is occupied by the so-called general regime zone. This is the name of ordinary hospital corridors, waiting rooms in the clinic. Sometimes such an algorithm is used even at school, if there is no provision for wearing interchangeable shoes. The general mode is allowed to be maintained in an institution of any type according to the personal wishes of its owner, if it is a private institution.
Separately, many are interested in the question of whether it is mandatory for parents and educators to wear such a “shift” in kindergarten. Here it is worth considering situations individually, since in most cases moms and dads are asked to switch to a similar mode during quarantine, a dangerous infectious situation, or even just during a parent meeting in a group so as not to stain the carpet.
Sanitary requirements
Particularly acute for a number of consumers is the question of whether to wear “ambulance” shoe covers. This refers to whether paramedics and doctors who arrived on call are obliged to use this “protection” from pollution of the apartment from street dirt brought on shoes. But this is more a matter of personal responsibility than a practical necessity.
Since the ambulance arrives in a matter of minutes, doctors will rush to urgently provide assistance to the victim, and not keep clean. If we are not talking about an urgent call, then it would be logical to offer the representatives of the “white coats” full-fledged slippers bought in advance for such cases with soles for comfort.
For family members with elderly patients, it is more efficient to simply purchase several pairs of shoe covers, having reusable shoe covers just in case.
Such non-woven helpers are sold in any pharmacy, so their purchase will not be difficult. Even a whole package will be relatively cheap.
The good news here is that you don’t have to figure out how to properly wear bags for dirty shoes for a long time. Due to the elastic band around the ankle, they are easy to put on even with one hand, and you can simply pull them together with your feet. It remains just to throw the worn pair in the trash. Typically, such a basket in medical institutions is installed right near the entrance / exit for the convenience of visitors.
As for the obligation to wear shoe covers, they are required to be worn only in the first three completely sterile areas. Any demands to put on such an “outfit” under general regime conditions should be regarded solely as a request.
Separately, it is worth mentioning that in sterile areas the benefits of shoe covers are completely leveled if the visitor manages to enter the intensive care unit or other place without a special cap and in outerwear. From above, you will need to put on a medical gown, after removing your coat or jacket to leave them in the dressing room.
The same principle is used by specialists working in dental offices, massage centers, spa salons, beauty parlors. But if the medical institution is private, then with almost a 100% guarantee, shoe covers are given to the patient at the entrance for free.