American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · May 2019
Alternative doffing strategies of personal protective equipment to prevent self-contamination in the health care setting.
Health care workers routinely contaminate skin and clothing when doffing personal protective equipment (PPE). Alternative doffing strategies, such as hand hygiene on gloved hands and double gloving, have been suggested but not validated by comparison against the standard Centers for Disease Control and Prevention procedures. ⋯ Participants experienced self-contamination when doffing PPE with both a surrogate marker and live bacteria. Close attention to doffing technique is necessary for optimal results, and one-step procedures may be more effective.