Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
They are "specialized clothing or equipment, worn by an employee for protection against infectious materials".
Types of PPE Used in
Healthcare Settings
- Gloves – protect hands
- Gowns/aprons – protect skin and/or clothing
- Masks and respirators– protect mouth/nose –
- Respirators – protect respiratory tract from airborne infectious agents
- Goggles – protect eyes
- Face shields – protect face, mouth, nose, and eyes
Gloves
- Purpose – patient care, environmental services, other
- Glove material – vinyl, latex, nitrile, other
- Sterile or nonsterile
- One or two pair
- Single use or reusable
Do’s and Don’ts of Glove Use
• Work from “clean to dirty”
• Limit opportunities for “touch contamination” -
protect yourself, others, and the environment
– Don’t touch your face or adjust PPE with
contaminated gloves
– Don’t touch environmental surfaces except as
necessary during patient care
Change gloves
– During use if torn and when heavily soiled (even
during use on the same patient)
– After use on each patient
Discard in appropriate receptacle
– Never wash or reuse disposable gloves
Gowns or Aprons
• Material
Natural or man-made
– Reusable or disposable
– Resistance to fluid penetration
• Clean or sterile
Face Protection
• Masks – protect nose and mouth (N95, N99 or N100)
– Should fully cover nose and mouth and prevent
fluid penetration
• Goggles – protect eyes
– Should fit snuggly over and around eyes
– Personal glasses not a substitute for goggles
– Antifog feature improves clarity.
• Face shields
– protect face, nose, mouth, and
eyes
– Should cover forehead, extend below chin and wrap
around side of face
Respiratory Protection
• Purpose – protect from inhalation of
infectious aerosols (e.g., Mycobacterium
tuberculosis)
• PPE types for respiratory protection
– Particulate respirators
– Half- or full-face elastomeric respirators
– Powered air purifying respirators (PAPR)
Elements of a Respiratory
Protection Program
• Medical evaluation
• Fit testing
• Training
• Fit checking before use
Key Points About PPE
• Don before contact with the patient, generally
before entering the room
• Use carefully – don’t spread contamination
• Remove and discard carefully, either at the
doorway or immediately outside patient room;
remove respirator outside room
• Immediately perform hand hygiene
Sequence* for Donning PPE
• Gown first
• Mask or respirator
• Goggles or face shield
• Gloves
Sequence for Removing PPE
• Gloves
• Face shield or goggles
• Gown
• Mask or respirator
Hand Hygiene
• Perform hand hygiene immediately after
removing PPE.
– If hands become visibly contaminated during PPE
removal, wash hands before continuing to remove PPE
• Wash hands with soap and water or use an
alcohol-based hand rub
PPE Use in Healthcare Settings
* Ensure that hand hygiene facilities are available at the point
needed, e.g., sink or alcohol-based hand rub
Standard Precautions
• Previously called Universal Precautions
• Assumes blood and body fluid of ANY patient
could be infectious
• Recommends PPE and other infection control
practices to prevent transmission in any
healthcare setting
• Decisions about PPE use determined by type
of clinical interaction with patient
Source:
- CDC guideline
- ASHP guideline for personal protective equipment
- CDC guideline
- ASHP guideline for personal protective equipment
