By Josephine Reid
One of the most common color choices for hospital scrubs these days is blue. The symbolism of the color blue has many similarities to the color white. Many of these are characteristics that are also associated with the nursing profession.
Blue is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, and intelligence.
Along with the many symbolic factors, blue hospital scrubs are also obviously much easier to keep clean, especially seeing as in modern day it is each nurses' responsibility to keep their uniform clean. It also helps to exude a more professional look at the workplace.Looking back on the pretty extensive history of hospital scrubs; fast forwarding to the 1940's, aseptic technique was routinely employed in operating suites to stop infections and pathogens from spreading. To emphasize cleanliness, operating room attire was white.
Looking back on the pretty extensive history of hospital scrubs; fast forwarding to the 1940's, aseptic technique was routinely employed in operating suites to stop infections and pathogens from spreading. To emphasize cleanliness, operating room attire was white.
The combination of white surroundings, white apparel, and bright operating room lights, however, was believed to cause eye strain for surgeons and staff. As a result, operating-room attire was changing to various shades of green by the 1960's. Among other benefits, shades of surgical green as well as blue were found to reduce eye fatigue, provide a high-contrast working environment and make bloodstains less obvious. These shades in replacement of white could help physicians see better for two reasons.
First, looking at blue or green can refresh a doctor’s vision of red things, including the bloody innards of a patient during surgery. The brain interprets colors relative to each other. If a surgeon stares at something that’s red and pink, he becomes desensitized to it. The red signal in the brain actually fades, which could make it harder to see the nuances of the human body.
The surgical greens uniform became the standard by the 1970's and are the foundation for today’s standard nonsurgical scrubs, which are commonly worn by healthcare staff in hospitals. This surgical green and Caribbean blue are now known as the standard for hospital scrubs.
