Putting on 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: disposable gown, gloves, goggles, and mask

Perform hand hygiene.
Grab a disposable gown. Without shaking it, allow the gown to unfold in front of you.
Place your arms into the sleeves of the gown. Fasten the ties at the neck.
Ensure the gown covers your uniform in the back. Fasten the ties at the waist.
Pick up the mask by grasping the top set of ties or the elastic bands.
Place the mask across your face, so it covers your nose and mouth.
Fasten the top ties and then the bottom ties, or secure the elastic bands around your ears.
Put on goggles over your eyes or eyeglasses. Ensure a secure fit.
To put on gloves, apply a glove to the non-dominant hand first; then, apply a glove to your dominant hand.
Smooth out any wrinkles or folds in the gloves. Examine for any tears or holes and replace if needed.
Pull the gloves down to cover the cuff of the disposable gown.
Proceed to the task.

Important Information

Personal protective equipment is worn to protect the mouth, nose, eyes, clothing, and skin from unwanted pathogens [1]. In the health care setting, a patient’s condition often prompts the use of personal protective equipment; however, a health care worker is able to wear personal protective equipment whenever he or she deems it is necessary (e.g., during procedures with the potential for excessive contact with bodily fluids). Based on routes of transmission, the CDC recommends the following equipment to be worn as protection against infectious diseases: [2]

Contact: gown and gloves
Droplet: mask and gloves
Contact and Droplet: gown, mask, and gloves
Airborne: respirator

Always encourage visitors to wear personal protective equipment when visiting a patient with an infectious disease. This limits the spread of infection and promotes a safe environment.

References

1. https://www.cdc.gov/HAI/pdfs/ppe/PPEslides6-29-04.pdf

2. http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/settings/outpatient/basic-infection-control-prevention-plan-2011/transmission-based-precautions.html

More Resources

Measuring and Recording Output from a Urinary Drainage Bag

Accurate measurement of urination (aka, the output portion of intake and output) allows medical personnel to assess kidney and bladder function. Changes in output quantity or quality can reflect health status changes including new-onset infection or renal injury.

Tympanic Membrane Temperature with Electronic Thermometer

A tympanic membrane thermometer uses an infrared sensor to measure the temperature of the tympanic membrane (ear drum). This type of thermometer is considered an accurate and reliable predictor of a patient’s core temperature because the tympanic membrane’s blood supply is sourced from the carotid artery, which is the same artery that carries blood to the hypothalamus in the brain.

Dressing and Undressing a Patient

Patients who have suffered a stroke or have weakness or injury to one side of their body may struggle with dressing and undressing. In order to help these patients regain their strength and independence, it is important that the nurse’s aide only assist them as needed. The nurse’s aide may need to teach patients how to dress and undress safely with their limitations.

Assisting the Resident to Sit on the Side of the Bed

Having the resident sit on the side of the bed is otherwise referred to as dangling. When a resident quickly changes position, especially from lying to sitting or standing, there can be a rapid drop in the resident’s blood pressure. This drop in blood pressure may cause dizziness or lightheadedness.

Partial Bed Bath

Bathing is an important part of a patient’s health routine. A partial bed bath focuses on bathing sensitive areas that cause discomfort if not cleansed frequently, such as the face, hands, axillae, back, and perineum. Though patients receiving a bed bath are typically confined to the bed, some are able to wash themselves and should be encouraged to do so to promote independence.

Prone Position

Prone position is not used as commonly as other patient positions. This position allows for full extension of the hips and the knees and gives many bony prominences a break from continuous pressure. However, placing patients in prone position does not come without the risks of pressure ulcers.