Peter Brown

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why do doctors wear white coats

Have you ever wondered, "Why do doctors wear white coats?" In the modern age of medicine, the white coat has been emblematic of the doctor’s profession. Every first-year medical student participates in the white coat ceremony as a formal and symbolic entry into the profession.

The Doctor’s White Coat: A Quick History Lesson

why do doctors wear white coats?

As with anything, the profession did not always include white coats. Until approximately the 1900s, being a doctor was not what it is today. In those days, doctors wore plain clothes, most often black, similar to the habits of the nuns who worked as nurses and the garb of the clergy.

But at the end of the nineteenth century, the world of Western medicine was shaken up by breakthroughs in antiseptics, germs, and the spread of diseases. With the rapid advancement of medicine as a formal science and profession, the practicing doctors also decided to elevate their garb – hence, the birth of the doctor’s white coat.

White was picked for its symbol of purity, but also because white made it easier for stains to be spotted. The design has developed further to accommodate more functional purposes into the white coat that we know today.

The Importance of Keeping White Coats

Despite the bad rap that white coats get with things like white-coat hypertension, it is important to note the bigger roles that white coats play in patient perception.

Multiple studies have found that patients, especially older ones, still look for white coats for identification of their primary care providers. Patients perceive white coats as an indicator of skill, which in turn increases patients’ confidence and comfort.

With patient experience and confidence in their healthcare provider hanging in the balance, surely a total ban of the doctor’s white coat is not the only solution?

Keeping the White Coats White and Germ-Free

Aside from systematizing and continually stressing the importance of regular handwashing in medical facilities and practices, it is imperative to systematize the regular and thorough cleaning of white coats. They should be treated with just as much importance and laundry precision as other related linens and garments such as scrubs and patient gowns, because of the risk of infection and the spreading of germs.

The best and only way to ensure thoroughly clean white coats is to work with a linen rental and laundry program carried out by experts in medical linen services! With the help of a reliable medical linen and uniform expert, white coats can be washed regularly as part of an effective infection control program.

Partner with MedClean today!

Explore the possibilities of the best and most pristine white coats for use in your medical practice today with the help of MedClean! Call us today at 630-833-7393 to learn more about our white coats and other medical linens and uniforms.

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Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. - Henry Ford

MedClean has, without a doubt, come a long way from its first days in the Chicago basement of our founder, Mickey Georgadis. Several decades, four generations, and countless satisfied clients later, the vision remains the same: to be the company everyone wants to do business with. And to achieve this vision, we rely on the relationships we build and the people we work with.

Our Strength is in People

Our entire operation revolves around people. In our desire to be the best, we make sure to work with the best. We hire people with intention. We train them not only how to run our operations or to keep up shop; our training involves in-depth learning on how to take care of customers, meet their needs, exceed their expectations, and develop a sense of yearning for excellence. This winning mindset will see them through within our company as well as in life.

We maintain the highest values for everyone we work with, inside and outside our company:

  1. Mutual respect for all
  2. Fair treatment for everyone across different ranks
  3. Open and honest communications
  4. Honoring of commitments and obligations
  5. Responsibility and accountability for our actions

We maintain the golden rule in our core values: we treat others the way we want to be treated.

We Have Relationships, Not Customers

Our 90-year longevity in a tight and often brutal industry is not built on names on a list: it is built on relationships that we have made and maintained over the years. As a family business, this has been our competitive edge: the ability to build lasting relationships with the businesses that we work with.

And with the same values, we maintain the highest sense of respect for our clients by ensuring that we:

  1. Safely deliver quality products
  2. Provide great value at all levels
  3. Listen to our customers
  4. Deliver services and goods that comply with the highest standards in the industry and the law
  5. Continually strive to perfect our services
  6. Deliver results every single time

This is the core of our operation. Our success and journey toward achieving our vision of being the best in the textile rental industry is anchored on our values and the relationships that make it work.  

Become part of our family today!

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the importance of medical scrubs

In the healthcare industry, uniforms and clothing are of the utmost importance. Uniforms protect employees from contaminants and make an employee’s job easier; each uniform and clothing item serves its own purpose, whether it’s a lab coat or a set of scrubs.

Healthcare scrubs are an important component in providing adequate healthcare. Their role in the medical facility is imperative. Here are some of the benefits that medical pros, healthcare facilities, and patients gain from scrubs:

1. Medical scrubs provide adequate protection against bodily fluids.

High-quality medical scrubs are made of fabric thick enough to prevent a patient’s bodily fluids from making direct contact with the wearer’s skin.

2. Scrubs are economically efficient.

Scrubs are designed for maximum use and cost efficiency. They are made of high-quality fabric that is both inexpensive and can withstand even the most thorough cleaning process possible. This means that they can last through years of wash and wear, and are easy to replace.

3. Scrubs provide comfort and range of movement for the wearer.

It’s no secret that healthcare professionals have some of the most physically straining jobs around. Aside from the exposure to harmful pathogens on a regular basis, they are also the ones who are expected to stand on their feet throughout their shift, work through long hours, lift patients, or move around the clinic for hours on end. To perform their jobs efficiently, they need uniforms that will give them optimum comfort.

4. Scrubs are functional.

Scrubs are designed to help make the job easier for the wearer, with their large pockets and their range of motion.

5. Scrubs make healthcare professionals easily identifiable.

Like every company uniform, scrubs provide easy identification of the location’s professionals. These identifications are usually enhanced with custom color combinations or clinic logo prints/embroidery.

6. Scrubs help protect against cross contamination.

Cross contamination is not just a problem within a facility but is also a community health concern. Medical scrubs that are processed in a specialized facility (and not in employee homes) prevent the spread of possibly contagious infections and viruses. Scrubs must be cleaned with as much precision and with the same focus on hygiene as any other medical care linen.

Learn more about medical scrubs and our wide range of options available for your facility! Contact MedClean today at 630-833-7393 to speak with one of our consultants and get started on your medical uniform linen service!

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environmental impact

At MedClean, we recognize the importance of minimizing our impact on the environment. That’s why we’re always looking for new and better ways to use water, save energy and streamline our entire process.

Read more

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how to make a hospital bed more comfortable

Let’s face it: being in the hospital is horrible.

No one really enjoys being strapped to a sick bed in a building full of strangers. On top of the discomfort of being in alien, sterile surroundings, a hospital stay is an experience that abounds with anxiety and uncertainty.

But with the healthcare industry putting more of their focus towards holistic patient comfort as an essential tool in wellness and healing, there is also a large shift in the way hospitals deliver their best care. Aside from providing topnotch medical services, more and more hospitals are putting a premium on their choice of patient linens.

But how, exactly, does the hospital’s choice of linens affect a patient’s experience?  Here's how to make a hospital bed more comfortable, and safer:

Clean, quality linens eliminate risks and deliver peace of mind

It’s a fact that linens are among the biggest culprits in hospital-based cross-contamination. They’re the perfect vehicle for infection-causing microbes, transferring them from one spot to another and from one person to another. Most patients and their loved ones are well aware of this, adding to the anxiety and discomfort of their hospital stay.

Providing patients with fresh, clean linens – processed in a facility equipped to handle medical linens – not only eliminates any possibility of cross-contamination but also eases patients’ worry. They’ll feel more at ease during the course of their hospital stay.

But are clean linens all that it takes to deliver topnotch patient care? Certainly not anymore.

Linens designed for comfort

The days of flimsy, rough hospital linens are long gone. In their place are lush, comfortable linens that used to only belong in spas and hotels.

As more and more hospitals are seeing the benefits of a more personalized, more comfortable approach to patient care, higher-quality linens are inching their way into hospitals and other medical facilities across the country.

Patient care experts and linen management experts have found that higher-quality linens – with their softer, smoother, cozier feel – help provide a homier, more relaxed atmosphere to an otherwise stark situation. Much like the effects of fresh flowers or brightly colored paintings in hospital rooms, comfortable linens help patients relax and feel at home throughout their treatment, thus improving their overall patient experience significantly.

As simple as linens may seem, the impact they have on patient experience is undeniably huge.

Want to know how to make a hospital bed more comfortable? Upgrade to better linens!

An upgrade might be all that is holding your facility back from providing the best kind of medical care to your patients. It’s easier than you think!

Take a more efficient approach to quality hospital linens with the help of a reliable linen service partner like MedClean! We can help you learn how to make a hospital bed more comfortable - in fact, we can help you with your entire facility's linen needs. 

MedClean combines years of expert experience in the medical linen industry and a dedication to customer satisfaction that matches your desire to provide for your patients.

MedClean can provide you with the perfect medical linens for your facility: the kind that balances comfort and quality with the latest in medical laundry technology.

What are you waiting for?

Explore better quality linen options today. Contact us to learn more about what MedClean can do for you and your patients!