Guides · patient gowns
How Many Patient Gowns Per Bed? Setting Par Levels Ward by Ward
Gown par levels depend on daily use per bed and how long the laundry cycle takes. Here is a simple formula, a worked example and how to keep par right once gowns are in circulation.
The number of patient gowns you need per bed depends on how many gowns each patient uses per day and how long a gown takes to go round the laundry and back. A simple way to set a par level is: daily gown use per bed, multiplied by the number of days in the laundry cycle, plus a buffer for peaks, plus an allowance for loss and withdrawal. Calculate it ward by ward from your own data rather than borrowing a figure from another hospital.
This post explains what a par level is, how to calculate one, and how to keep it right once gowns are in use.
What a par level means
A par level is the stock of an item you need in circulation to meet normal demand without running out. For patient gowns, that stock is spread across several places at any moment:
- On patients
- On the ward shelf or linen trolley, ready to use
- In used-linen bags waiting for collection
- In transit to the laundry
- Being washed, dried, inspected and folded
- In transit back, or in a central linen store
If you only count the gowns on the ward shelf, you will always underestimate how many you need.
People often talk about par in terms of "sets per bed", meaning how many times the daily requirement is held in total. The calculation below shows how to arrive at your own figure.
Step 1: Work out daily gown use per bed
Daily use varies a lot by ward. Ask each ward to record gown changes for a typical week, or estimate with the nurse in charge.
Things that push daily use up:
- Patients who sweat, are incontinent or have wound drainage
- Procedures and imaging that need a fresh gown before and after
- Short stays with high turnover, such as day surgery
- Maternity and postnatal care
- Hot wards or patients with fever
Things that pull it down:
- Mobile patients who wear their own clothes or patient tops and trousers part of the day
- Long-stay patients in stable condition
Step 2: Measure your laundry turnaround
Turnaround is the time from a gown being bagged on the ward to being back on the shelf, clean. Include:
- Time waiting for collection
- Transport to the laundry
- Washing, drying, inspection and folding
- Transport back
- Time waiting in the central store before going to the ward
Weekends and public holidays matter. If the laundry does not collect or deliver on certain days, the stock has to cover those gaps. Ask your laundry for its actual collection and delivery schedule, not the ideal one.
Step 3: Calculate the par level
A working formula:
Par per bed = daily use per bed × turnaround days + peak buffer + loss and withdrawal allowance
A worked example
These figures are for illustration only. Use your own data.
| Input | Example value |
|---|---|
| Daily gown use per bed | 2 |
| Laundry turnaround (days) | 3 |
| Base requirement (2 × 3) | 6 gowns per bed |
| Peak buffer (one extra day of use) | 2 |
| Loss and withdrawal allowance | 1 |
| Par per bed | 9 gowns |
| Beds on the ward | 30 |
| Ward par | 270 gowns |
The same ward with a faster laundry, or with patients using fewer gowns, would need noticeably fewer. A ward with weekend gaps in laundry service would need more.
Peak buffer
Peaks come from high occupancy, outbreaks, seasonal surges and laundry delays. A common approach is to hold one extra day of use, but set it with your nursing and linen teams based on how often you have run short in the past.
Loss and withdrawal allowance
Gowns go missing, and others are withdrawn because they are torn, stained or worn out. If you do not allow for this, stock shrinks steadily below par. Our post on reducing patient gown losses covers how to bring this figure down.
Step 4: Split the par by size and type
Your total par must be broken down by size, and by gown type if wards use more than one (for example, standard, imaging or bariatric). Our patient gown size guide explains how to estimate a size mix.
Remember that low-volume sizes, such as bariatric, need a relatively larger buffer, because a single patient can use several gowns a day and there may be no substitute on the shelf.
Step 5: Decide where the stock sits
Par is held in several places:
- Ward stock: enough for the ward to work between deliveries.
- Central store: a reserve to top up wards and cover peaks.
- In circulation: everything in laundry or transit.
Many hospitals use a top-up system: each ward has a set shelf level, and the linen team tops it up to that level on each delivery. That works better than fixed deliveries because it adjusts to actual use.
Keeping the par level right
A par level is a starting point. It needs checking once gowns are in use.
- Track stock-outs. Record every time a ward runs out or borrows from another ward.
- Track surplus. Gowns piling up unused on a ward suggest its share is too high.
- Count periodically. A full count of gowns in all locations, a few times a year, shows whether stock is shrinking.
- Track withdrawals. Note how many gowns are withdrawn for damage each month.
- Adjust reorders. Use these numbers to set replacement orders, rather than waiting for stock to run low.
For a new facility with no history, see patient gowns for a new hospital opening, which covers estimating initial stock.
Common mistakes
- Counting only shelf stock and ignoring gowns in the laundry
- Ignoring weekend and holiday gaps in laundry service
- Setting one par for all wards regardless of use
- Forgetting a loss and withdrawal allowance
- Not splitting par by size, so the right sizes run short even when totals look fine
- Never reviewing par after the first order
A short checklist
- Daily use per bed measured ward by ward
- Real laundry turnaround confirmed, including weekends
- Peak buffer agreed with nursing and linen teams
- Loss and withdrawal allowance included
- Par split by size and gown type
- Ward, central store and circulation stock defined
- Review schedule set
Ordering to your par level
Once your par is set, MISHAREN can quote reusable patient gowns to match it, by size, colour and ward. Gowns are made to order at its own production unit in Konni, Kerala, and shipped to the UAE for delivery across all seven emirates. Because shipping time is part of the lead time, plan replacement orders early enough to keep stock above par; the lead time is confirmed in the quotation. The approved specification is kept on record, so top-up orders match what is already in circulation.
See our patient gowns page or contact us with your par figures for a quotation.