Putting on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) involves following a specific sequence of steps to ensure you are properly protected.
Steps for Donning PPE
Based on standard guidelines, the process for putting on PPE, often called "donning," involves several key steps performed in a specific order. Following these steps correctly helps minimize the risk of contamination.
Here are the steps for putting on PPE:
- Identify and Gather Proper PPE: Before starting, ensure you have all the necessary PPE items for the task, including an isolation gown, an N95 respirator or higher, a face shield or goggles, and gloves. It is important to choose a correct gown size that provides adequate coverage.
- Perform Hand Hygiene: Clean your hands thoroughly using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Put on an Isolation Gown: Put on the gown and ensure it covers your body from your neck to your knees, and your arms to the end of your wrists. Tie all ties on the gown securely to keep it in place.
- Put on an N95 Respirator or Higher: Place the respirator over your nose and mouth and secure it to your head with the elastic straps. If wearing an N95, perform a user seal check according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Put on a Face Shield or Goggles: Position the eye protection to cover your eyes and face adequately.
- Put on Gloves: Pull the gloves on so that they extend over the cuffs of the isolation gown.
- Ready to Proceed: Once all PPE is donned correctly, health care workers can now enter the patient's room or begin the task requiring PPE.
Following this sequence helps ensure that each piece of PPE is correctly positioned and layered for maximum protection before entering a potentially hazardous environment.
