Patient gown

Abstract

A patient gown includes a garment having an access opening overlying a portion of a patient's body when worn; and a drape attached to the garment for movement between a covered position in which the drape covers the access opening to conceal, and maintain patient privacy of, the portion of the patient's body, and an exposed position in which the drape is uncovered from the access opening to expose, and enable access to, the portion of the patient's body. The patient's modesty is maintained while at the same time allowing unfettered access by a health care professional to different portions of the patient's body. The gown is medical personnel convenient especially for medical procedures, while retaining wanted coverage of the patient so as to avoid embarrassment due to unavoidable, undesired exposure of the body of the patient.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to gowns and like wearing apparel for wear by a medical patient in a doctor's office or hospital while going through one or more various medical diagnostic procedures involving examination by health care professionals.

2. Description of the Related Art

Patients in hospitals, clinics, or doctors' offices are typically provided with gowns in an effort to help patients maintain their privacy and modesty during examinations. A much used and well known gown has a split-open, dual rear section back, a solid-closed front, and dual short sleeves, made of a single sheet of cloth material. The gown is secured by drawing together one or more vertically spaced-apart ties that extend from opposite edges of the two rear sections of the split-open back, and by tying the drawn ties into bows.

However, such tie-bow coupling only pulls the opposite edges of the two rear sections together in the regions of the ties. Open gaps inevitably are formed between the spaced-apart ties, and portions of the patient's body are visible through these gaps. Many patients, for the sake of vanity, warmth and modesty, must manually hold the opposite edges of the two rear sections together to close these open gaps, thereby making the experience of wearing these gowns not only embarrassing, but also uncomfortable. Yet, such a split-open back gown does allow health care professionals ready access to the rear of a patient's body for performing various tests and examination procedures, e.g., a colonoscopy, but again at the cost of compromising patient modesty and comfort.

Also, the solid-front gown is not well suited for breast or vaginal examinations by an OB/GYN health care specialist. These and other examinations such as a total general physical or abdominal organ examination may require total or partial removal of the gown and, in many cases, the gown is actually worn backwards such that the split-open back of the garment covers the front of the patient. However, as before, the inevitable open gaps, this time at the front of the patient, compromise patient modesty.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Objects of the Invention

Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide an easy to manufacture, patient gown, which provides both ready access to portions of a patient's body to health care professionals and maintains the patient's modesty, vanity and comfort.

Another object of this invention is to provide a comfortable patient gown that is patient-considerate and health care personnel-considerate and accords unrestrictive selective access to one or more portions of the patient's body for medical examination purposes and other procedural purposes.

Still another object of this invention is to enhance personal modesty absent in known medical patient wearing attire.

Features of the Invention

In keeping with these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of this invention resides, briefly stated, in a patient gown, comprising a garment having an access opening overlying a portion of a patient's body when worn; and a drape attached to the garment for movement between a covered position in which the drape covers the access opening to conceal, and maintain patient privacy of, said portion of the patient's body, and an exposed position in which the drape is uncovered from the access opening to expose, and enable access to, said portion of the patient's body.

In accordance with one feature of this invention, the drape is a panel mounted on the garment above the access opening for movement between said positions. The garment and the drape are each constituted of a soft, flexible sheet material. Preferably, the drape is generally rectangular in shape, has peripheral edges, at least one of which has an edging, and has an upper edge sewn along a generally horizontal seam along the garment above the access opening. The drape is suspended from the upper edge entirely over the access opening in the covered position. The drape has an area greater than a predetermined area bounded by the access opening, which is preferably bordered by a border edging to maintain the access opening constantly open.

Still another feature of this invention resides in the garment having a front side, and the access opening being located on the front side of the garment and overlying at least one of upper and lower regions of said portion of the patient's body. For example, the at least one of the upper and lower regions of said portion of the patient's body may be a chest area, and the access opening is a generally circular area overlying and exposing the chest area in the exposed position. As another example, the at least one of the upper and lower regions of said portion of the patient's body may be a groin area, and the access opening is a generally U-shaped area overlying and exposing the groin area in the exposed position.

The garment also has a rear side, and the access opening may be located on the rear side of the garment, for example, at the buttocks area, in which case, the access opening is a generally U-shaped area overlying and exposing the buttocks area in the exposed position.

Either of the front and rear sides may be split to comprise split sides. In that case, the access opening and the drape are located at the other of the sides of the garment, and the split sides may be tied together with a tie. Preferably, neither side is split, and both sides are solid, so that the garment may be donned by being slipped down over the head of the patient. Of course, the garment is preferably constituted of a comfortable, flexible sheet cloth material and has a neck opening and a pair of sleeve openings.

The gown may additionally be provided with another access opening overlying a different portion of the patient's body when worn, and another drape attached to the garment for movement between another covered position in which the other drape covers the other access opening to conceal, and maintain patient privacy of, said different portion of the patient's body, and another exposed position in which the other drape is uncovered from the other access opening to expose, and enable access to, said different portion of the patient's body.

In all of the above-described embodiments, the patient's modesty is maintained while at the same time allowing unfettered access by a health care professional to different portions of the patient's body. The gown is medical personnel convenient especially for medical procedures, while retaining wanted coverage of the patient so as to avoid embarrassment due to unavoidable, undesired exposure of the body of the patient.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a patient gown having upper and lower drapes in their respective covering positions in accordance with one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a broken-away perspective view of the gown of FIG. 1 with the upper drape raised to its exposed position;

FIG. 3 is a broken-away perspective view of the gown of FIG. 1 with the lower drape raised to its exposed position;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of patient gown having a lower drape in its covering position in accordance with another embodiment of this invention; and

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the patient gown of FIG. 4 with the lower drape raised to its exposed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 generally identifies a patient gown comprising a garment 12 having a neck opening 14, a-pair of sleeves 16 having sleeve openings 18, a front side 20, and a rear side 22. As shown in FIG. 2, an upper, generally circular, access opening 24 overlies an upper portion of a patient's body, i.e., the chest area, when worn; and as shown in FIG. 3, a lower, generally U-shaped, access opening 26 overlies a lower portion of the patient's body, i.e., the groin area, when worn. The upper access opening 24 has a circumferentially-complete border edging 28, and the lower access opening 26 has a generally U-shaped border edging 30, each edging being a doubled-over piece of the front side, or perhaps a separate material, to reinforce the respective access opening and maintain it in a constantly open position.

In accordance with this invention, a drape is attached to the garment for movement between a covered position in which the drape covers the access opening to conceal, and maintain patient privacy of, said portion of the patient's body, and an exposed position in which the drape is uncovered from the access opening to expose, and enable access to, said portion of the patient's body. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, an upper drape 32 is shown in FIG. 1 in the covered position concealing the chest area of the patient, and in the raised, exposed position in FIG. 2 exposing the chest area of the patient. In the same embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, a lower drape 34 is shown in FIG. 1 in the covered position concealing the groin area of the patient, and in the raised, exposed position in FIG. 3 exposing the groin area of the patient. Although the upper and lower drapes 32, 34 are shown in the same embodiment, it will be understood that a particular gown may, and often is, provided with only one access opening and its corresponding drape.

The front side 20 of the gown of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 is solid, while the rear side 22 is shown as being split into two rear sections having ties 36. This need not be the case, and the rear side can also be made solid, in which case, the gown is preferably donned by being slipped down over the patient's head.

The gown of the embodiment of FIGS. 4-5 is analogous to the first embodiment, except in the following respects. First, it is the rear side 22 of the gown of the embodiment of FIGS. 4-5 that is solid, while the front side 20 is shown as being split into two front sections having ties 36. As before, the front side can also be made solid.

As shown in FIG. 5, a lower, generally U-shaped, access opening 38 overlies a lower portion of the patient's body, i.e., the buttocks area, when worn. The lower access opening 38 has a generally U-shaped border edging 40. The edging 40 is a doubled-over piece of the rear side, or perhaps a separate material, to reinforce the lower access opening and maintain it in a constantly open position. In the embodiment of FIGS. 4-5, a lower drape 42 is shown in FIG. 4 in the covered position concealing the buttocks area of the patient, and in the raised, exposed position exposing the buttocks area of the patient.

The gown itself is preferably of one-piece construction and made of a fabric, paper, cotton, cotton blend, or other natural or synthetic cloth. The gown may be left plain or colored, or preferably imprinted with a pattern.

Each drape 32, 34, 42 is a panel mounted on the garment above the respective access opening 24, 26, 28 for movement between their respective covering and exposed positions. Preferably, each drape is generally rectangular in shape, although other shapes are contemplated, e.g., circular or oval. Each drape 32, 34, 42 has peripheral edges, preferably reinforced by respective edgings 44, 46, 48 to maintain their shape. Each drape 32, 34, 42 has respective upper edges 50, 52, 54 sewn along a generally horizontal seam along the garment above the respective access opening 24, 26, 28. Each drape is suspended from its upper edge entirely over the respective access opening 24, 26, 28 in the covered position. Each drape has an area greater than a predetermined area bounded by the respective access opening to insure privacy.

In all of the above-described embodiments, the patient's modesty is maintained while at the same time allowing unfettered access by a health care professional to different portions of a patient's body. The gown is medical personnel convenient especially for medical procedures, while retaining wanted coverage of the patient so as to avoid embarrassment due to unavoidable, undesired exposure of the body of the patient.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, also may find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a patient gown, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

Claims

1. A patient gown, comprising:

a) a garment constituted of a soft, flexible sheet material and having an access opening overlying a portion of a patient's body when worn; and

b) a drape constituted of a soft, flexible sheet material and attached to the garment for upward movement from a covered position in which the drape covers the access opening to conceal, and maintain patient privacy of, said portion of the patient's body, to an exposed position in which the drape is uncovered from the access opening to expose, and enable access to, said portion of the patient's body, the drape constituting a panel having an upper edge sewn along a generally horizontal seam along the garment above and spaced from the access opening, the panel being freely suspended from the upper edge entirely over the access opening in the covered position, the panel having reinforced edgings at opposite sides thereof to maintain a shape of the freely suspended panel in the covered position.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

5. The gown of claim 1, wherein the drape is generally rectangular in shape.

6. (canceled)

7. The gown of claim 1, wherein the access opening bounds a predetermined area, and wherein the drape has an area greater than said predetermined area.

8. The gown of claim 1, wherein the access opening is bordered by a border edging to maintain the access opening constantly open.

9. The gown of claim 8, wherein the border edging is circumferentially complete.

10. The gown of claim 1, wherein the garment has a front side, and wherein the access opening is located on the front side of the garment.

11. The gown of claim 10, wherein the access opening overlies at least one of upper and lower regions of said portion of the patient's body.

12. The gown of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the upper and lower regions of said portion of the patient's body is a chest area, and wherein the access opening is a generally circular area overlying and exposing the chest area in the exposed position.

13. The gown of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the upper and lower regions of said portion of the patient's body is a groin area, and wherein the access opening is a generally U-shaped area overlying and exposing the groin area in the exposed position.

14. The gown of claim 1, wherein the garment has a rear side, and wherein the access opening is located on the rear side of the garment.

15. The gown of claim 14, wherein said portion of the patient's body is a buttocks area, and wherein the access opening is a generally U-shaped area overlying and exposing the buttocks area in the exposed position.

16. The gown of claim 1, wherein the garment has a front side and a rear side, and wherein one of the sides is split to comprise split sides, and wherein the access opening and the drape are located at the other of the sides of the garment, and wherein the split sides are tied together with a tie.

17. The gown of claim 1, wherein the garment is constituted of a sheet cloth material and has a neck opening, a pair of sleeve openings, a front side and a rear side, and wherein the access opening and the drape are located at one of the sides of the garment.

18. The gown of claim 1, and another access opening overlying a different portion of the patient's body when worn; and another drape attached to the garment for movement between another covered position in which the other drape covers the other access opening to conceal, and maintain patient privacy of, said different portion of the patient's body, and another exposed position in which the other drape is uncovered from the other access opening to expose, and enable access to, said different portion of the patient's body.