Patient Gowns for X-Ray, CT and Ultrasound: Features for Imaging Departments

A good imaging gown is quick to change into, keeps patients covered while they wait and move between rooms, gives the radiographer or sonographer access to the area being scanned and has no metal or hard parts that could get in the way of the image. For most X-ray, CT and ultrasound work, that means a wrap-around or well-overlapped back-opening gown with fabric ties, in a fabric that stays opaque, stocked in a full range of sizes.

This article covers gowns for general imaging departments and diagnostic centres. MRI has stricter requirements of its own, covered separately in patient gowns for MRI, and breast imaging is covered in breast imaging capes and gowns.

How imaging departments use gowns

Imaging gowns work differently from ward gowns. Patients usually wear them for minutes rather than days, and many are outpatients who arrive in their own clothes, change, wait, are scanned and change back. A busy department may go through large numbers of gowns in a single shift.

That pattern shapes what matters:

• Speed of changing. Patients need to change quickly and without help.
• Coverage while waiting. Patients often sit in a sub-waiting area or walk along corridors in the gown.
• Clear images. Anything in the gown that could appear on an image, or need to be moved out of the way, slows things down.
• High turnover. Gowns go back to the laundry after each use, so durability and stock levels matter.

Avoiding things that show on images

Patients are asked to remove clothing with metal parts, such as zips, hooks, buttons and underwire, before many X-ray and CT examinations, because these can appear on the image or obscure what the radiographer needs to see. The gown replaces that clothing, so it should not bring its own problems.

When specifying gowns for X-ray and CT, consider:

• Fastenings. Fabric ties avoid hard parts entirely. If you prefer press studs for speed, discuss with the imaging team whether metal studs are acceptable, and where on the gown they can sit.
• Labels and marking. Place care labels and logos away from areas that are commonly imaged, such as the centre of the chest and back, or agree placement with the radiographers.
• Decorative trims. Avoid anything with metal or dense parts, such as eyelets or metallic thread.
• Pockets. Pockets invite patients to keep phones, keys or coins with them. Most imaging gowns are better without them.

Your imaging team decides what is acceptable for each modality. Bring them a sample and let them check it in practice.

Gown features by modality

Modality	What patients need	Gown features to consider
General X-ray	Quick change, access to chest, spine, limbs	Ties rather than studs, labels placed out of common imaging areas
CT	Lying on the table, often with an IV cannula	Ties, short or easy push-up sleeves, shoulder opening for lines if needed
Ultrasound	Access to the abdomen, pelvis, neck or limbs	Wrap-around or two-piece designs that open easily at the front or side
Fluoroscopy and interventional	Longer procedures, access for lines	Back-opening or shoulder-opening, ties, good coverage on the table
MRI	Metal-free in every part	See our separate MRI guidance

Coverage and dignity in imaging

Imaging departments often have patients waiting in gowns in shared areas, and patients may walk between changing rooms and scanning rooms. That makes coverage more important than on a ward where the patient is in bed.

• Wrap-around gowns keep the back covered and can be fastened by the patient.
• Longer lengths help when patients climb on and off the table.
• A second layer, such as a robe or a second gown worn as a coat, helps in cool waiting areas.
• Patient tops and trousers can suit ultrasound and some other examinations where only part of the body needs to be uncovered.

For patients who prefer more coverage, long sleeves and longer lengths are worth stocking. Our article on modest patient gowns looks at this in detail.

Changing rooms and the gown routine

Gown design and the changing process work together. A few practical points help departments run smoothly:

1. Stock gowns in every changing cubicle, in a range of sizes, so patients do not have to ask.
2. Display simple instructions showing which clothing to remove and how the gown fastens.
3. Provide a secure place for belongings, such as lockers or baskets that travel with the patient.
4. Have a clear used-gown routine, with a laundry bag or bin in or near each changing area.
5. Restock between sessions, not just at the start of the day, in busy departments.

Sizes and stock levels

Because imaging gowns are used once per patient and then laundered, you need enough in circulation to cover a full day's patients plus the laundry turnaround, plus a margin for losses. Ask your laundry how long gowns take to come back, and count patients per day by modality.

Sizing matters too. A gown that is too small will not close, and patients will feel exposed while they wait. Stock larger sizes in sufficient numbers. If you scan children, a small stock of paediatric gowns is worth having. Review the size mix after the first few months, using what the laundry and changing-room staff report running short of.

Colour and marking

Many hospitals give imaging gowns their own colour. It helps the laundry return them to the department rather than sending them to wards, and it lets staff see at a glance which gowns belong where. If you also have MRI-specific gowns, give those a different colour again, so there is no confusion between gowns with and without metal parts.

Mark gowns with the hospital or department name for laundry identification, placed where it will not interfere with imaging.

A short specification checklist

• Style: wrap-around, back-opening or two-piece, by modality
• Fastenings: fabric ties, or studs only where imaging agrees
• No pockets, metal trims or metallic thread
• Labels and logos placed away from common imaging areas
• Fabric: cotton or poly-cotton, opaque after washing
• Sleeves: short, or long with easy push-up
• Colour: department colour, distinct from MRI gowns
• Sizes: full adult range, larger sizes, paediatric if needed

Ordering

MISHAREN makes reusable patient gowns to order in back-opening, wrap-around and shoulder-opening styles, with patient tops and trousers, in cotton or poly-cotton, with ties, press studs or a mix, colours by department and marking for laundry identification. Gowns without metal fastenings are available on request, with the imaging team confirming suitability.

See the options on the patient gowns page, or send your imaging department's requirements through our contact page for a quotation.