Development of Functional Uniform for Caregivers

The purpose of this study was to develop a caregiver's uniform that is appropriate for nursing and to improve movement adaptability as well as having a pleasing appearance. Based on the results of preliminary study, I investigated the inconvenience and problems with the existing uniforms and made a sample uniform taking into consideration the design, the material, and the pattern. We carried out a sensory assessment and quantitative assessment in order to compare the sample uniform with existing uniforms. Following are the results of this research. The top is a short-sleeved blouse with a round neckline having no collar and with armpit gussets. The armpit gussets are semicircles and the inverted pleats in the back are an improvement designed for activity. The pants are long reaching to the ankles with elastic in the waist so that the waist measurement may be adjusted. The length of the pants can be adjusted with strings and the pants have a funnel-shaped pocket for adjustment of length. We used a mix of polyurethane and polyester for the outer cloth of the uniform in order to improve activity function and used $Coolever^{TM}$, the sanitary textile that absorbs moisture well and dries in a short time, for gussets in the armpits, which is the heavy sweat area. The appearance assessment and movement adaptability assessment were performed with 5 subjects and 9 experts. For the results of the assessment, the sample uniform was appraised to be better than the existing uniforms in every item of an appearance comparison assessment except for the neckline assessment by the experts. As for the assessment of movement appropriateness and wearing assessment, the same subjects were used for analysis. As the results of the assessment, the sample uniform was rated higher than the existing uniforms in movement adaptability and pleasing appearance.

간병인을 위한 기능적 유니폼 개발 -노인의료복지시설 간병인을 대상으로-