Variation in Health Care Worker Removal of Personal Protective Equipment

The following article from the American Journal of Infection Control is being shared from the August issue of The Guardian of Public Health- BETP. 

Researchers in the American Journal of Infection Control evaluate healthcare worker personal protective equipment (PPE) removal with the goal of identifying procedural variation. Thirty healthcare workers were observed in October 2014 and that data was compared with the PPE removal guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). 

The research reflected that only 13% of the healthcare workers observed fully followed the CDC guidelines.  Forty-three percent removed their PPE in the correct order, however only 17% removed the PPE in the correct order and disposed of it correctly. The researchers suggest more training is needed.