5 Personal Protective Equipment
Learn how to select, put on, remove, and handle personal protective equipment according to anticipated exposure and required precautions.
Select PPE for the exposure
Select PPE according to the task, anticipated exposure, and precautions that apply. apply to all patient care; add when indicated. PPE provides a barrier, but it does not replace or other infection-control practices.
Match protection to anticipated contact
If a procedure is likely to splash blood or body fluids toward the face and clothing, use gloves and a gown, and add a mask with eye protection or a face shield. Choose protection appropriate to the task and required precautions.
Gloves are not automatically required for every patient contact. For routine care in which you expect to touch intact skin, but not blood, body fluids, nonintact skin, or contaminated equipment, select gloves based on anticipated exposure and the applicable precautions. Follow any additional precautions required for the patient.
Put PPE on in sequence
The usual donning order is:
Gown
Mask or respirator
Goggles or face shield
Gloves
Fasten the gown, secure and fit the mask or respirator, adjust the eye protection, and pull the gloves over the gown cuffs. Follow the procedure used by the facility and the PPE manufacturer's instructions.
After putting on a respirator, perform a according to training and the manufacturer's instructions. This check helps confirm that the respirator is seated correctly; it does not replace required respirator training or fit testing.
Remove PPE carefully
Remove contaminated PPE carefully and avoid touching contaminated surfaces. A common example removal sequence is gloves, eye protection, gown, then mask or respirator. Follow facility instructions about where each item should be removed. Some guidance directs personnel to remove the respirator after leaving the room and closing the door.
To remove contaminated gloves without touching their outer surfaces with bare hands, pinch the outside of one glove near the wrist and peel it off, turning it inside out. Hold it in the still-gloved hand. Slide the fingers of the bare hand under the cuff of the remaining glove and peel it off over the first glove. Dispose of the gloves and perform .
Do not touch the front of a mask or respirator during removal because it may be contaminated. Handle its ties, straps, or elastic, following the device instructions and facility procedure.
Dispose of or reprocess equipment
Discard disposable gloves in the appropriate waste container. Place a reusable face shield in the designated area for cleaning and disinfection or . Do not return reusable equipment to service until it has been properly reprocessed.
As you leave a patient-care area, handle PPE carefully, use the appropriate disposal or route, and perform . Follow facility procedures and equipment instructions, especially for respirators.