Market Survey
Current Scrubs
The preferences attributes of scrubs were defined:
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Stretch material - to allow ease of movement and comfort. Such as the 4-way purple stretch fabric to the right. [2]
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Durable fabric - to allow the garment to maintain its shape, appear clean, and not show wear after many washings, spills, and days of work.
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Anti-Microbial fabric - to allow for the nurse to maintain a healthy environment and not carry diseases from place to place.
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Color - Most interviewees stated that they had to wear the hospital standard of ceil blue. However, one interviewee did not have to wear ceil blue and stated that she "preferred darker colors, (Black, navy blue, purple, etc.)" and solids because "Solid color is easier to style."
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Open Pockets - All three interviewees stated that they preferred open pockets because they allowed them to grab what they needed more easily.
Based off of the surveys, all three of my interviewees patronized different scrub lines, Dickies and Scrub inc were two lines mentioned. They wear a scrub pant and shirt, with either a jacket or under-scrub for warmth. To make the scrubs last longer, the interviewees stated that they own several scrubs and rotate them out. The interviewees currently spend about $25-$40 per scrub piece. To the left is pictured a Dickie's Women's Advance Two Tone Twist Snap Front
Jacket. [1]
Preferences
Function
To all interviewees, function was extremely important for their scrubs. They constantly need to be moving, bending, and lifting, as their work demands. Most viewed a scrub skirt/dress as impractical. One nurse stated "I wear tops and bottoms. A scrub skirt/dress would be impractical because we are constantly lifting and bending." Another mentioned that she would prefer to have double-lined pockets for durability, like the pocket at left. [3]
Style
In terms of style, all interviewees preferred to have a more fitted, stylized top instead of stylized bottoms like this one pictured from ParagonCare. [4] One interviewee preferred athletic leisurewear to other scrubs because they afforded more room for movement. Additionally, all interviewees wore either a jacket or long sleeved under-scrub with their scrubs in order to stay warm in the cold environment.
One interviewee mentioned that she wanted pockets "for left handed people, since many of the pockets are geared towards right handed people." She explained further stating "With some of the pants the lower leg pocket is only on one side and mostly the right side."
Conclusion
I concluded from the surveys that open pockets, fabrics - which were durable, stretchy, moisture wicking and anti-microbial - and a comfortable fit were necessary for a nurse's scrub. In addition, hospitals and medical work places tended to be cold and nurses would like to see more long sleeve garments made. Finally, although there are some people who would wear scrub skirts/dresses for religious purposes, most nurses find these types of scrubs impractical because of all the bending and lifting they have to do. Thus in order to incorporate these types of garments into this line, skirts need to be made practical. [5]