What Patients Wear Matters: Evidence on Adaptive Hospital Wear, Dignity, and Care Experience

Traditional hospital gowns can compromise dignity, comfort, and care efficiency by prioritizing procedural access over the lived experience of hospitalization. This narrative review synthesizes interdisciplinary literature published between 2000 and 2025 across patient experience research, nursing, medical textiles, apparel design, and disability studies, with searches conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Across settings, evidence indicates that patient-centered hospital wear—using breathable and antimicrobial textiles, ergonomic closure systems (eg, hook-and-loop, magnetic snaps, modular access flaps), and inclusive sizing—can reduce unwanted exposure, improve perceived dignity and autonomy, simplify dressing for patients and caregivers, and support clinical access when aligned with real care tasks. Findings are organized around functional access, modesty-preserving coverage, and aesthetics/identity factors that shape perceived respect during care. Smart-textile applications show potential for selected monitoring use cases, but scalability is constrained by wash durability, maintenance requirements, and cost. Implementation barriers remain significant, including limited standardization, procurement constraints, industrial laundering performance, and cultural acceptance factors, particularly in Indian healthcare contexts where modesty norms shape comfort and willingness to engage in care. Reframing hospital clothing as a person-centered intervention—not merely a logistical supply item—can support more humane, context-appropriate care environments in routine practice; this review outlines practical design and policy directions relevant to India and similar resource-constrained settings.