There are two main reasons why shoe covers are necessary in the medical profession. Number one, it is imperative that no biological waste is transported from within a hospital setting, an operating room or procedure area into the outside and the opposite is also true. Contaminants can easily be transferred from the outside to the inside of a sterile hospital room, so shoe covers protect against the exposure of those contaminants to such an environment.
Hospital shoe covers are disposable after use. When they are disposed of any contaminants are destroyed as well. Common uses for medical shoe covers are to cover the feet of the fathers when a mother is giving birth and hospital visitors of immune deficient loved ones who are patients. In both instances, its imperative that the persons present in the medical facility do not disrupt the sterility of the environment they share with patients temporarily.
Just as its important to keep the medical environment sterile, its also essential to protect food preparation areas. This is especially true for food prepared for the sick and elderly. These immuno-compromised individuals cannot withstand an attack on their systems from both the environment and their food.
Shoe covers used in the food service industry, especially the medical food service industry are often made with non-skid soles to prevent slipping on tile floors. All styles including those with and without non-skid bottoms come in one-size-fits-all and the limited sizes of small, medium, large, x-large, and xx-large.
Sterile shoe covers are made and packaged in cleanrooms. Some are anti-static treated as well as Gamma irradiated and sealed in polyethylene bags. Specific styles are made with dotted soles (Supermoto soles) or SMS soles limit falls from slipping. Specific shoe covers are made to be resistant against liquid splashes, dirt, grime, grease, and punctures.
The materials used to construct these shoe covers are particularly important. One brand of shoe cover is made with a matrix fiber of microporous breathable material and covered with a laminate coating. Other brands are made with polyethylene and purported to be super strong. The common shoe cover reaches up to the ankle. Calf-length shoe covers are available.
Hospital shoe covers offer every visitor that enters a cleanroom the opportunity to enter with limited alterations to their attire. All that visitor must do is don a clean gown, mask, gloves, and shoe covers. They are then perfectly protected from germs they may encounter in the cleanroom and the patient is protected from contaminants the visitor could shed during their visit.
