Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The nurse is preparing to leave the room after performing oral suctioning on a client who is on contact and airborne precautions. Place the actions the nurse will perform in order from first to last.

Doffing or removing your personal protective equipment (PPE) is also done in a particular order. You can remember that doffing is taking off your PPE because it has the word "off" in the middle. When removing PPE:​ Remove gloves, turning inside out to contain any infectious materials. Remove the gown first, being careful to turn it inside out to contain any infectious materials.​ Both the gown and gloves should be disposed of in the trash after being removed. Perform hand hygiene to get rid of any contamination that may have occurred during care or removing the gown and gloves. ​ Remove your goggles or eye wear by grabbing the arms of the goggles near the ear and pulling them off. If using a face shield take off by pulling from the strap on your head. Remove your surgical or N95 mask, pulling from the straps and taking care not to touch the part of the face mask that was away from your face while wearing it. It may be infectious. ​ After all PPE is removed, perform hand hygiene one last time.

On which topics are employers required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to train employees? Select all that apply.

Employers are required by OSHA to train employees about: when personal protective equipment is necessary what personal protective equipment is necessary how to properly put on, take off, adjust, and wear personal protective equipment the limitations of personal protective equipment proper care, maintenance, useful life, and disposal of personal protective equipment

Match each type of mask with the correct scenario.

Fabric mask: Worn by the public during outbreaks of respiratory transmitted infections (e.g., COVID-19 and influenza). While fabric masks are less effective than surgical or N95 masks, they offer more protection than wearing no mask at all.​ Surgical mask: Nurse is completing a sterile central line dressing change. Surgical masks are more effective than fabric masks and should be used by high-risk individuals (e.g., immunocompromised) when exposed to airborne or droplet-spread diseases.​ N95 mask: Used by healthcare colleagues when caring for a client on airborne precautions. It is also recommended for high-risk individuals who must be in public during times of widespread airborne or droplet spread infections.

Gloves

Giving a bed bath Administering an eye medication Changing a wound dressing

Choose the situations in which gloves should be changed. Select all that apply.

Gloves should be replaced if they become torn or heavily soiled. If additional client care tasks must be performed or gloves do not fit correctly, a glove change is needed. Always change gloves between clients. If the glove slides, interfering with the delivery of care, the nurse should change their gloves before continuing.

For each fact below, click to specify if it applies to a surgical mask or a respirator.

N95 Respirator Contains a micron filter Needs to be fitted Protects from infectious aerosols fine particles

Therefore, they do not require fit-testing. are different masks that protect against

Surgical masks protect against large droplets and splashes. Therefore, they do not require fit-testing. Respirators are different masks that protect against small particles and microorganisms. They require fit-testing.

In which order will the nurse take these actions before doing wound irrigation and a dressing change for a client who has a wound infected with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)? Place the steps in order from first to last.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (n.d.) guidelines recommend initially performing hand hygiene and then donning gowns, masks, goggles, and finally, gloves to protect staff members and limit the spread of contamination. Goggles and a mask (or use of a face shield) will be needed with this dressing change because of the possibility of splashing during wound irrigation.

Read each scenario and then select the priority personal protective equipment (PPE) item for each scenario.

The N95 respirator should be worn with airborne precautions. A face shield should be worn when performing suctioning on a client with thick secretions. Gloves should be worn when inserting an IV. When selecting personal protective equipment (PPE), consider three things: The type of anticipated exposure such as touch, splashes, or sprays. The appropriateness of the PPE for the task. For example, would a face shield be needed or goggles? Some PPE, such as N95 respirators, must fit the individual user.

During a visit by state inspectors, a nurse was questioned about the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Which statement made by the nurse indicates a need for more training?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA, 2004) requires that all employers protect their employees from workplace hazards and train them on PPE. There are limitations of PPE, such as restricted comfort and movement. The benefits of wearing PPE are lost if it is taken off while caring for the client.

When donning personal protective equipment (PPE), which item is last to put on?

The correct order for putting on PPE is gown, mask, goggles, and gloves.

The nurse needs to don personal protective equipment (PPE). When should this occur?

The donning or putting on of PPE must occur in a particular order before entering a client's room. PPE is not worn outside of client rooms. Nurses should not wait to don PPE until after they enter the room. PPE should not be worn around the other unit areas, such as waiting rooms and entryways.

When removing personal protective equipment (PPE), it is important to know what areas of PPE are considered "clean" and what areas are "contaminated." Select the PPE areas that are considered contaminated.

The outside of the mask and the sleeves of the gown are some areas that are considered contaminated. Ties on the gown, the back of the gown, the inside of the gloves, and the straps on the goggles are considered clean on PPE.

When putting on PPE:​

Wash your hands. Put on the gown, as indicated. Apply the surgical or N95 mask. Apply face shield or eye goggles. Put on the gloves, as indicated.

When using personal protective equipment (PPE), when should handwashing be performed? Select all that apply.

When using PPE, handwashing should be performed before donning PPE, after all PPE has been removed, and after removing gloves. Unless hands or gloves are visibly soiled, handwashing is not needed before removing eye protection (goggles) or before applying a mask.

The nurse is wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and is finished with client care. In which situations did the nurse contaminate themselves? Select all that apply.

Work from clean body sites to dirty. Be aware of what is clean and what is contaminated. PPE that has touched a client is contaminated. The nurse touches their hair and the back of the gown with a contaminated glove. Gloves must be removed after the gown before the mask to avoid contaminating the nurse's head.

A nurse is using a gown, gloves, and face shield when bathing a client diagnosed with C. difficile infection. Which nursing action promotes proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE)?

Working from "clean" areas to "dirty" areas during a bath is proper whether or not the nurse is wearing PPE. All PPE should be donned before entering and removed upon leaving the room after all client contact is complete. PPE should not be selected based on preference.