“Patients entering an operating theatre are often required to remove their clothing and wear a freshly laundered surgical gown, but this may also be unnecessary and potentially uncomfortable, especially when a person is asked to remove more intimate garments. Little evidence is available regarding whether the practice of changing into theatre attire helps to reduce SSI. In previous guidelines, no recommendation was made as to patients wearing their personal clothes in the theatre, but these guidelines acknowledge that it may not always be necessary for patients to remove all their clothing.”⁵