The patients in our wards are given white tops which reach up to their knees. These are called night gowns. The reason for such a nomenclature is unclear. Either they all are expected to remain in bed, and the dress to be worn in bed is presumed to be a night gown. Or any time for a patient is presumed to be night time. As long as they are supplied with clean and decent dresses, it probably does not matter what the dress is called. If a patient is transferred from one ward to another, the nurse in the receiving ward is expected to give a night gown to the ward from where the patient is transferred. Unfortunately junior nurses do not give gowns at all times, for different reasons. The senior nurses should replace the gowns the next day, but many times do not do so. As a result the original wards develop a shortage of gowns. In order to avoid such a thing from happening, they started an unorthodox procedure without approval. They started asking the patients to change into their home clothes before transfer. Then they would be given night gowns in their new wards.
Finally we started seeing patients in colorful clothes in the wards. The colors were OK, but there was no guarantee that their clothes were clean and hygienic. It became difficult to differentiate between patients and their relatives. It took me two days to organize a meeting of all nurses.
"Why should be attend the meeting" complained a nurse who was creating the problem by not replacing the night gowns. "My ward does not have the problem."
"You are creating the problem, and hence you have to attend the meeting" I said.
I was the only person present for the meeting at scheduled time. It took another 15 minutes to call the nurses from six wards and start the meeting. The Matron and Assistant Matron arrived at the time of the conclusion of the meeting. When I told them about the standard operating procedure evolved by us, they said "but that is the existing laid down procedure!"
"Yes, it is" I said. "Unfortunately it is not being followed. They have evolved another procedure on their own. Now I have their signatures on the minutes of this meeting, and if there is any change in the dress code of the patients, we know whom to catch. Do you all agree?"
"Yes" they said. There was no alternative but to agree with me.
