Articles: personal-protective-equipment.
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Transmission of an infectious agent requires a source of infection, a mode of transmission, and a vulnerable host. The most important interventions for preventing infection transmission are hand hygiene and use of standard precautions for all patients. ⋯ This article discusses key takeaways from the "AORN guideline for transmission-based precautions," including using standard precautions; wearing personal protective equipment when exposure to blood, body fluids, or other potentially infectious materials is anticipated; and using contact precautions during care of patients known or suspected to be infected or colonized with pathogens transmitted by direct or indirect contact. Perioperative RNs should review the complete guideline for additional information and for guidance when writing and updating policies and procedures.
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There is a high rate of injury associated with firefighting: in 2016, 21% of all fireground injuries were attributed to falls, jumps and slips. Examining factors related to balance, including experience in wearing firefighter gear, may assist in reducing injury related to falls. ⋯ In spite of the altered center of balance created by breathing apparatus and the altered visual cues created by the facemask, wearing firefighter gear did not substantively affect anterior-posterior postural stability or motor response to linear translation in rested, healthy individuals. Firefighters and non-firefighters performed similarly across all except one of the experimental conditions.
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Personal protective equipment (PPE) helps protect healthcare workers (HCWs) from pathogens and prevents cross-contamination. PPE effectiveness is often undermined by inappropriate doffing methods. Our knowledge of how HCWs approach doffing PPE in practice is limited. In this qualitative study, we examine HCWs' perspectives about doffing PPE. ⋯ Efforts to improve HCWs' doffing performance need to address HCWs' preferences for both safety and expediency when using PPE, which has implications for PPE design, training approaches, and hospital policies and procedures.
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Unrecognized transmission of pathogens in healthcare settings can lead to colonization and infection of both patients and healthcare personnel. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is an important strategy to protect healthcare personnel from contamination and to prevent the spread of pathogens to subsequent patients. ⋯ Here, we summarize recent research from the Prevention Epicenters Program on healthcare personnel contamination and improvement of the routine use of PPE as well as Ebola-specific PPE. Future efforts to optimize the use of PPE should include increasing adherence to protocols for PPE use, improving PPE design, and further research into the risks, benefits, and best practices of PPE use.
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The safe removal of personal protective equipment (PPE) can limit transmission of serious communicable diseases, but this process poses challenges to healthcare workers (HCWs). ⋯ We systematically identified common points of concern in protocols for doffing high-level PPE. Addressing FMs related to hand hygiene and the removal of the outermost garment, boot covers, and PAPR hood could improve HCW safety when doffing high-level PPE.We identified ways that doffing protocols for high-level personal protective equipment may fail to protect healthcare workers. Hand hygiene, removing the outermost garment, boot covers, and respirator hood harbored the greatest risk and failed in similar ways across different hospitals.