Reusable operating theatre hats puts names to faces

In operating theatres in hospitals across the country, you’ll see a sea of blue and green, with masks, scrubs, visors, and hats. When everyone looks the same, it can be difficult to quickly identify people.

Our colleagues in orthopaedic theatres at Musgrove Park Hospital have been trialling new reusable theatre hats, each with personalised name badges.

Mr Andy Stevenson, one of our orthopaedic consultants, is passionate about sustainability in the NHS and has been working with Eco Ninjas Ltd, who supply the hats, and J&J Med Tech, on the month-long trial.

Andy explains: “Previously, our theatre hats were essentially single use plastic, thrown away after each operation. By introducing reusable hats, we’re hoping to reduce our impact on the environment, as well as make it easier for colleagues, patients and visitors to be able to know who everyone is and what their job role is.

"These reusable theatre hats can be used hundreds if not thousands of times, and once they wear in a bit they will be more comfortable too.”

Colleagues have found that it significantly enhances communication within the team, and patients have expressed a strong preference for knowing who is providing their care, which builds trust and reassures them - ultimately, improving their experience.

When we shared the news about the new hats on our trust social media page, one patient commented: “I had orthopaedic surgery yesterday at Musgrove Park Hospital and must say as a patient this was lovely. People wear ID lanyards but often have them tucked in pockets to keep them out of the way. I could talk to people and immediately know who they were and what their role was. Very reassuring. Well done all and thank you all for amazing care yesterday.”

As well as being better for the environment and less wasteful, it helps to empower all colleagues and encourages a flatter hierarchy in the operating room.

Andy continues: “In theatre, there can be a really high turnover of colleagues at times, with new people coming and going all the time. This can make it really difficult to know who is who, let alone what jobs they have. Some days, it will be the first time working with half the people in the room.”

Other hospitals have implemented embroidered hats as a way of identifying who they are, however, bespoke embroidery is a complex process and isn’t sustainable for large numbers. When colleagues leave, the hats leave with them, and visitors, including students, radiographers, registrars, and representatives, don’t tend to get embroidered hats, so these ‘visitors’ remain unidentified.

Another large consideration is that embroidered hats cannot be centrally laundered as it would be very difficult to get the exact hats back to the right people. Badges attaching to hats enable every single person in theatres to be clearly named, including their roles, and the hats can be laundered similar to scrubs!

The person behind the badge hats is Danielle Checketts, a former medical professional herself.

“For patients, entering a theatre department can be a daunting experience, especially when they don’t know the names of the staff providing their care," explains Danielle. "In my own experience of being a patient undergoing a C-section, I met with the surgeon and anaesthetist prior to surgery, but once I was in the room, I had no idea who they were, which made me feel incredibly nervous and anxious.

"I struggled to identify the caring professional who administered my epidural amidst the sea of blue scrubs and caps. I just wanted to focus on a familiar face, someone I trusted from my earlier experience, but everyone looked the same and I couldn’t remember her name. I have also encountered being misidentified when I was a student nurse in theatres, and as a representative on numerous occasions, which I why I am so passionate to try to make a difference and provide a solution to stop this from happening in the future.”

The team would like to especially thank Yeovil Hospital’s laundry team, who have been laundering the hats during the trial and making the whole project possible. The yellow name badges, inspired from the ‘Hello my name is’ project, are popped off when the hat needs changing and washed with normal washing detergent in the changing room sinks, ready to be reused.

Once the trial is complete, the team will be reviewing all the feedback and making any changes, with the hopes of expanding the hats to all theatre areas across our trust.

You can watch the hats in action as we stepped behind the theatre curtain in orthopaedic theatres to speak to Andy: https://youtube.com/shorts/XNtKt6uTZdM?feature=shared

Questions about the reusable hats

As we had so many questions and comments on our social media post about the reusable hats, we have published a question and answers page on our website, here: Your questions answered on our reusable theatre hat trail at Musgrove Park Hospital - Somerset NHS Foundation Trust