Optimized Sizing Systems for Medical Examination Clothing: Balancing Fit and Management Efficiency

Hong, Y., Kim, Y. E., Lee, H., Park, M., & Choi, H. E. (2025). Optimized sizing systems for medical examination clothing: Balancing fit and management efficiency. Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics, 20, 15589250251342856.

This study proposes an optimized sizing system for medical examination clothing that balances fit and production and management efficiency. The research investigated existing sizing systems in the market and conducted focus group interviews with medical staff and online surveys with examinees to identify issues in current sizing practices, particularly with Korea Medical Institute’s (KMI) medical examination clothing. A loss function approach was applied using a loss coefficient ratio derived from survey data and body dimensions of 5082 adults from the eighth Size Korea survey. The resulting optimized system reduced the number of sizes from six to four while achieving a high accommodation rate of 81.9%. The developed system includes 2XS-XS for smaller-bodied females, L-XL and 2XL-3XL for males, and S-M for larger-bodied females and smaller-bodied males. This reduction in sizes improves production and management efficiency without compromising wearer satisfaction. While the proposed system follows a unisex sizing structure similar to market products, it enhances accommodation rate and efficiency by applying a data-driven optimization approach tailored to Korean body types. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the loss function optimization method and its practical benefits in enhancing both user satisfaction and operational efficiency.