1. EditorialAccording to the Academy of Plastic Surgeons, there were over 493,000 breast plastic surgeries performed in 2019 across the United States [2]. Additionally, an estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in 2019 [1]. Additionally, the American Cancer Society. Barring significant changes in this field, women will continue to need surgical gowns. The Papilla gown can provide a greatly improved post-surgery experience. We have developed the Papilla gown, a novel patient gown specifically designed to create an improved post-mastectomy patient experience. Our new gown addresses all the primary concerns women experience following a single or double mastectomy. These concerns include drainage management, minimizing discomfort during routine reviews with the physician, minimizing the psychological impact of the mastectomy on the patient’s identity, and providing an overall comfortable experience during a difficult event in the patient’s life. A specially-designed patient gown with exterior design pockets for drainage system management, side access with Velcro for physician inspection, and easy access for the drainage bulb; design features to minimize psychological burden of the mastectomy procedure.1.1. Drainage management – Patients report frustration with the physical management of drainage reservoirs following a procedure. The reservoirs are typically pinned to the gown. These pins can become undone, leading to fallen reservoirs or dislodged drainage tubes, tangles, harm to the patient, and significant anxiety [5, 6]. The Papilla gown uses a two-layer system to provide secure drains which are set inside of the pockets that cover up the drainage reservoirs. This eliminates the need for pinning, secures the reservoirs, and reduces the patient’s anxiety [4, 5]. 1.2. Clinician inspection – Wound care is a major component of a healthy recovery. Clinicians many times per day by up to a week can inspect a patient’s wounds. Patients are typically required to remove the gown and expose their bodies, a physically and psychologically uncomfortable process for post-mastectomy patients. The papilla gown provides access to the reservoir pockets and the patient’s torso via Velcro-sealed openings. 1.3. Psychological impact – The mastectomy procedure creates significant emotional and psychological challenges for the patient. This includes altered body image. The Papilla gown’s thoughtful design minimizes the appearance of drainage reservoirs, reduces the patient’s anxiety, minimizes how often a patient must remove the gown, and presents a more stylish alternative to a typical patient gown. This reduces the negative psychological impact of the patient’s recovery while wearing a gown. 1.4. Overall experience - The Papilla gown is designed to be comfortable, convenient, stylish, and inconspicuous. This creates a positive overall experience for the patient during a challenging time in their life. The Papilla gown significantly outscored a standard patient gown in a trial over 300 post- mastectomy patients. Their responses support our claims [3, 4].
2. ConclusionsVarious fields can use the gown, such as, breast cancer, patient experience, medicine, mastectomy, and breast plastic surgery. Positive feelings about appearance are important to the emotional well-being, self-esteem during the healing phase, and physical disability [6]. Clothing that is appropriate and attractive is vital to helping achieve a positive body image, providing comfort, and having the ability to move more easily. There are a limited number of clothing choices at this time, thus the Papilla gown has been designed to solve this problem and to accommodate the drainage tubes.
References 1. Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2019-2020. American Cancer Society. Plastic surgery statistics report 2019. American Society of Plastic Surgeons; Available from Plastic surgery statistics report 2019.
2. Plastic Surgery Statistics Report. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 2019
3. Cho HS, Lee EY, Xie XJ, Davis G, Paek J, & Martines VB. The Papilla Gown Comfort Instrument for use with post mastectomy patients.
Journal of International Nursing and Health Science. 2015; 2(1): 1-7.4. Cho HS, Davis G, Paek J, Rao R, Zhao H, et al. A randomized trial of nursing interventions supporting recovery of the post mastectomy patient. Journal of Clinical Nursing. 2012; 21(7): 919-929.
5. Cho HS, Paek J, Davis G & Fedric T. Expanding the Comfort of Post Mastectomy Patients using the Papilla Gown. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 2008; 40(1): 26-31.
6. Cho HS, Paek J, Davis G & Fedric T. Development and evaluation of the special hospital gown for post-breast surgery patients. Journal of Asian Regional Association for Home Economics. 2006; 13(1):10-16.
Cho HS .Specialty Gown for Mastectomy Patients Designed to Improve Drainage System Management, Patient Experience . Annals of Clinical and Medical Case Reports 2020