Surgical Gown vs Scrubs: What Each Does in the Operating Theatre

Scrubs and surgical gowns do different jobs in theatre. Scrubs are the base layer every theatre staff member wears in the restricted area; a surgical gown is a sterile outer garment that only the scrubbed team puts on, after hand antisepsis, for a specific procedure. Scrubs stay on through the shift, while a surgical gown is used for one case and then goes back to the laundry and sterile services, or into the waste if it is disposable.

Confusing the two causes real problems in procurement: tenders that ask for "theatre gowns" when they mean scrubs, or scrub orders that assume they can replace sterile gowns. This article sets out the role of each and how they work together.

What scrubs are for

Scrubs are the standard theatre clothing for surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, operating department staff and others working in the restricted zone. They are usually a short-sleeved top and drawstring or elasticated trousers, made from a light, tightly woven fabric that launders well.

Their main purposes are practical:

• Replacing outdoor clothing with clean, facility-laundered garments before entering the theatre suite
• Allowing quick changes if clothing is soiled
• Identifying theatre staff, often by colour
• Staying comfortable through long shifts under bright lights and in cold theatre air

Scrubs are not sterile, and they are not designed to act as a barrier between the wearer and the surgical field. That is the gown's job. Facility policy usually sets where scrubs can and cannot be worn outside the theatre suite, so check your own theatre attire policy. For more detail on choosing theatre scrubs, see our guide to operating theatre scrubs.

What a surgical gown is for

A surgical gown is worn over scrubs by the members of the team who work directly at the sterile field: the surgeon, assistants and the scrub nurse. It is put on after surgical hand antisepsis, using a technique that keeps the outer front surface sterile, and is followed by sterile gloves.

The gown has two linked purposes:

1. Protecting the sterile field. It covers the scrubs, skin and anything else that could shed onto the surgical site.
2. Reducing contact with blood and body fluids. Depending on its construction and any barrier testing, it limits strike-through of fluids to the wearer.

How much a gown achieves on the second point depends on the fabric, any reinforcement and what it has been tested to. Our article on surgical gown barrier standards covers the questions to ask.

Typical features of a reusable surgeon gown include a wrap-around back, long sleeves with knitted cuffs that sit under the glove, ties or press studs at the neck and waist, and a generous cut so the wearer can move freely without straining seams.

Side-by-side comparison

	Scrubs	Surgical gown
Who wears it	All theatre staff in the restricted zone	Scrubbed team at the sterile field
When it goes on	Start of shift, in the changing room	After surgical hand antisepsis, for each case
Sterile?	No	Yes, when put on
Worn over	Underwear or a base layer	Scrubs
Sleeves	Usually short	Long, with cuffs under gloves
Changed	When soiled, at end of shift, or as policy says	After each case or if contaminated
Reprocessing	Laundered	Laundered, inspected, packed and sterilised (reusable)
Purpose	Clean theatre clothing and staff identification	Protecting the sterile field and limiting fluid contact

How they work together in a typical case

A simplified sequence for a scrubbed team member looks like this:

1. Change into facility scrubs, theatre footwear and a hat in the changing room.
2. Enter the theatre suite and prepare for the case.
3. Put on a mask and perform surgical hand antisepsis.
4. Put on the sterile gown, with assistance from a colleague who ties the back.
5. Put on sterile gloves over the gown's cuffs.
6. After the case, remove the gown and gloves as your policy specifies, then either re-gown for the next case or continue in scrubs.

Other staff, such as the anaesthetist, circulating nurse and porters, normally wear scrubs without a sterile gown. Some facilities give non-scrubbed staff a non-sterile cover gown for certain tasks or when leaving the theatre area. That is a separate item with its own requirements, covered in our article on non-sterile theatre staff gowns.

Your own theatre policy, set by theatre leadership and infection control, is the final reference for this sequence.

Why the difference matters for procurement

Different specifications

Scrubs are bought as clothing: fabric, cut, sizes, colours and names or logos. Surgical gowns are bought as theatre equipment: back closure, cuff type, sterilisation compatibility, any barrier documentation and labelling for cycle tracking. Putting both in one line item in a tender almost guarantees mismatched quotations.

Different volumes

Scrubs are counted per person: a few sets per staff member in rotation. Surgical gowns are counted per case and per scrubbed team member, plus enough stock to cover the time items spend in the laundry and sterile services. A busy theatre may need many more gowns than its headcount suggests.

Different departments

Scrubs usually involve HR, nursing and the linen room. Surgical gowns also involve the central sterile services department (CSSD), infection control and theatre management, who all need to approve the specification.

Different reprocessing

Scrubs go through the normal hospital laundry. Reusable surgical gowns go through laundry, inspection for damage, folding in a way that allows aseptic opening, packing and sterilisation. If your CSSD does not yet process reusable gowns, check its capacity before switching.

Different colour logic

Scrub colours are often used to tell roles apart at a glance, for example one colour for theatre nurses and another for anaesthetic staff. Gown colours serve a different purpose: they need to be consistent across the theatre suite, comfortable to look at under bright lights, and easy to separate from scrubs and drapes in the laundry and CSSD. Some facilities deliberately choose a gown colour that differs from their scrubs so that sterile and non-sterile garments are never confused during sorting and packing. Decide the colour scheme for both together, and record the exact shades on the approved specification.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Ordering "OT gowns" when you mean scrub suits, or the other way round
• Assuming scrubs with fluid-resistant finishes can replace sterile gowns
• Ordering one gown size for the whole team
• Forgetting the knitted cuff, which keeps the sleeve under the glove
• Leaving CSSD out of the specification for reusable gowns
• Ignoring the time gowns spend in reprocessing when setting quantities

Buying both from one supplier

There is a practical benefit to sourcing scrubs and theatre textiles together: colours can be coordinated, sizes can follow the same size chart, and one approved specification covers your theatre suite. MISHAREN makes medical scrubs and reusable OT gowns and drapes to order at its own production unit in Kerala, India, and ships them to the UAE for each order, delivering across all seven emirates.

If you are planning theatre clothing and textiles, send your list of items and quantities through our contact page and MISHAREN will come back with a quotation, including lead time.