Nursing & Healthcare Programs

Removing Personal Protective Equipment

Written by Hollie Finders, RN
Hollie Finders is a registered nurse with years of experience working in the health care field. She has degrees in both biochemistry and nursing. After working with patients of all ages, Hollie now specializes in pediatric intensive care nursing. Hollie’s LinkedIn

Procedure

Equipment needed: trashcan, biohazard container

  1. With both hands still gloved, grasp the glove at the palm of your non-dominant hand and pull the glove off, turning it inside out in the process.
  2. Hold that glove in the center of your gloved hand.
  3. Using your non-gloved hand, insert two fingers underneath the cuff of the glove.
  4. Carefully pull the glove off, while turning the glove inside out. The other glove should be enclosed inside this glove.
  5. Dispose gloves in the proper biohazard container.
  6. Remove goggles.
  7. Untie the disposable gown at the neck and the waist.
  8. Grasping the inside of the gown near the neck ties, pull the gown down off of one arm and slide the arm out.
  9. Repeat procedure for remaining arm.
  10. Touching only the inside surface of the gown, roll the gown to enclose the contaminated side.
  11. Dispose the gown in the proper biohazard container.
  12. Remove the mask by untying the bottom ties and then the top ties, or remove the elastic bands from around the ears.
  13. Dispose of the mask into the trashcan.
  14. Perform hand hygiene.

Important Information

It is important to follow the correct procedure while removing personal protective equipment to avoid contaminating your skin or clothing. The most common source of contamination in this process stems from improper removal of gloves [1]. Gloves are often the most soiled piece of equipment. To avoid contaminating your skin or the other equipment worn, gloves should always be removed first. Then remove the goggles, gown, and mask, in that order.

Disposable equipment should not be reused. These items should be discarded into the proper receptacles: mainly biohazard containers or waste bins. Reusable items, on the other hand, should be properly decontaminated and stored according to facility policy. As a reminder, use of personal protective equipment does not take the place of proper hand hygiene. Always thoroughly wash and dry your hands after removing and disposing of the equipment.

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26457544

More Resources

Applying a Condom Catheter

Condom catheters are used for men who are incontinent. These catheters are external and are meant to be used short-term and changed daily.

Orthopneic Position

Patients with respiratory illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) find ways to help themselves breathe more easily. This can include sleeping with extra pillows to keep them propped up or leaning forward to ease the work of breathing. The orthopneic position is one forward-leaning position used to help patients breathe comfortably when they are having difficulty.

Assisting the Resident to Transfer from the Bed to a Chair or Wheelchair

It is important to remember on which side to place the chair when assisting a patient in transferring. Putting the chair on the resident’s unaffected side allows the resident to lead with his or her strong extremity. This eases the procedure for the resident and reduces the risk of falling.

Axillary Temperature with Electronic Thermometer

Compared to other temperature measurement methods, the axillary measurement is considered the least reliable. An axillary temperature measurement typically reads 0.5 to 1 degree Fahrenheit lower than an oral temperature reading [1]. For this reason, it is recommended to use this method only when other methods are contraindicated or when taking an axillary temperature is the safest method for the patient.

Feeding the Patient

Not all patients will need help feeding themselves. Some patients will only need assistance opening cartons or cutting their food. To promote independence, always let the patient do as much as he or she can before assisting. It is vitally important that the nurse’s aide verifies that the patient receives the correct meal tray. Patients may have special diets that play a critical role in their health (i.e., pureed diet, gluten-free diet, food allergies, etc.). Feeding the wrong food to the wrong patient could result in serious complications.

Offering the Bedpan

When a resident is bed-bound, they must use a bedpan to urinate and defecate. This can be embarrassing for the resident, so it should be done with sensitivity to the resident’s privacy and dignity. There are two types of bedpans. A regular bedpan is the deeper and more rounded of the two. A fracture pan has a relatively flat upper end with a trough at the lower end. Fracture pans are used for residents who have difficulty, or restrictions against, moving their hips and/or backs.