Minimizing contamination in the use of personal protective equipment: Simulation results through tracking contamination and enhanced protocols.
Am J Infect Control
; 49(6): 713-720, 2021 06.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1269210
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Due to variations and the inadequate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), this study aimed to evaluate our enhanced PPE protocols for minimizing doffing contamination.METHODS:
Among 3 PPE kits (simple, Level D, and Level C), 30 participants conducted the first simulation in their adapted way and the second following enhanced protocols. After donning, participants performed a 1-minute simulation of direct care on a patient simulator covered with fluorescent powder. For tracking contamination routes between doffing processes, fluorescent powder contamination was examined with ultraviolet lamps in the darkened room.RESULTS:
Participants were mostly registered nurses (Nâ¯=â¯27, 90%), female (87%), and on average 31.7 years old with 8.5 years of clinical experience. Among 61 total simulations, 32 had at least 1 contamination (52.5%); "Noticeable" level (40%) at the "hands-fingers" and "shirt" body areas were most frequent. For first and second simulations with identical PPE kits, compared to the first with adapted practice, the second with enhanced protocols showed a significant reduction in doffing contamination rates (72.7% vs 22.7%, P = .0009 for both Level C and D; 77.8% vs 27.8%, P = .0027 for Level D).CONCLUSIONS:
Our enhanced protocols could significantly reduce contaminations. More studies are necessary to provide safer PPE protocol options.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Health Personnel
/
Personal Protective Equipment
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Am J Infect Control
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS