Phan, L., Maita, D., Mortiz, D., Weber, R., Fritzen-Pedicini, C., Bleasdale, S., & Jones, R. (2019). Personal protective equipment doffing practices of healthcare workers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 16(8), 575-581. Web.
The article is about healthcare workers’ personal protective equipment (PPE) doffing practices. It looks at deviations from the recommended protocols and the potential increase for contamination from these alterations. The researchers take the case study approach as they observe the doffing practices of healthcare workers in a 465-bed hospital for acute care. Therefore, the authors’ purpose is to characterize the use of PPE and associated doffing practices in the provision of viral respiratory infections patients’ care. They logically present the information by making it easy to read and understand. Better still the problem statement is given which states that the prevention of disease transmission in healthcare settings is dependent on the consistent and correct use of PPE by healthcare workers to prevent exposure and transportation of pathogens to their bodies. The study was done through direct observation of 107 healthcare workers in caring for 52 patients. It established that there were various deviations from the provided CDC PPE doffing protocol which made the healthcare workers more vulnerable to self-contamination on their clothes or skins after the provision of care to patients with acute respiratory virus infections.
The article provides that healthcare workers need to observe the doffing practices provided by CDC. They should therefore avoid such errors as the removal of mask’s eye shield, gown doffing from the front, and touching surfaces that might be potentially contaminated, and the PPE in the doffing process. This is an essential piece of evidence when it comes to education on personal protection safety practices. It educates healthcare workers on the proper use of PPE and the common errors that they should avoid in preventing infection. As a result, those who deal with viral infections are equipped with ways of keeping themselves and their patients safe.