The Significance of PPE’s in Healthcare
The Significance of PPE’s in Healthcare
Introduction
Health care practitioners all throughout the world prioritise protecting themselves so that they can continue to help others. This involves being aware of infection prevention and control procedures, as well as the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), hand hygiene, and the disposal of potentially hazardous objects.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) “…consists of clothes placed to safeguard health care professionals or any other persons from becoming contaminated,” according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The personal protective equipment program of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines personal protective equipment as “technical processes, methods, techniques, tools, and materials that prevent accidents at work, illnesses and death “.
At a healthcare site in this pandemic situation, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) require that “healthcare workers wear legitimate personal protective equipment when presenting to an identified or doubted COVID 19 patient or different sources of SARS CoV- 2.
Personal protective equipment includes the following:
- Respirators
- Masks and face shields
- Goggles
- Gloves
- Safety helmets
- Safety shoes
- Fall protection and harnesses
- Full-body suits
Personal Protective Equipment for health workers
Personal protective equipment for health workers and other employees comprises gloves; clothing; face protection (such as a face shield); and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certified N95 disposable filter face breathing apparatus. One of the personal protective equipment currently used by healthcare professionals is a face mask. The face mask is an important PPE not only to the health care workers but also to all the people around the world, it helps to prevent the virus to enter the person’s body.
Even when the world is not facing the extensive impact of a pandemic, the usage of personal protective equipment is vital in any work environment because it aids in the prevention of illnesses, injuries, and deaths.
Providing personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals is a requirement, according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safeguards “safe and healthy working environments for male and female workers by creating and implementing standards and providing training, awareness, education, and support to workers who may be open to blood or other infectious materials (such as blood-borne pathogens ) “.
Hierarchy of Safety and Health Controls
The protection of healthcare personnel from infectious disease exposures in the workplace, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), necessitates a mix of controls:
Controls on training and administration: By providing appropriate safety and infection control training to healthcare professionals, as well as administrative controls such as establishing and implementing isolation policies and procedures, as well as procedures to identify patients with communicable diseases prior to the healthcare worker’s exposure.
Negative pressure rooms for patients with airborne infections like tuberculosis are examples of engineering controls (TB)
Controlling work practises, such as avoiding recapping needles, is one example.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Although PPE is at the bottom of the hierarchy of prevention, it is critical for preventing disease transmission among healthcare personnel.
Selection of Appropriate PPE
It’s crucial to think about the following criteria while choosing personal protective equipment:
Type of exposure to be expected: This may leak through the clothing due to contact with surfaces, splashes or sprays, or huge volumes of human fluids. The type of PPE (and combinations of PPE) chosen is dictated by the patient’s isolation category (see the link below from the CDC).
The task-appropriateness and durability of the PPE- This will influence whether a gown or an apron is chosen, for example. If a gown is required, it is also important to choose the sort of gown. Is it necessary for it to be fluid resistant, fluid proof, or both?
Fitting- Personal protective equipment (PPE) must be tailored to the specific user (form a proper seal). For example, if a glove is too big or too tiny for a person’s hand, the amount of protection is compromised, and the health care provider’s dexterity is harmed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a comprehensive list of guidelines for the use of standard precautions in the care of all patients in all healthcare settings is available (CDC – US).
When wearing PPE in a healthcare setting, there are various limitations to consider. When selecting PPE based on the purpose and aim of protection, it is critical to have a thorough awareness of the many forms of PPE.
How to use the PPEs Effectively
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention delivers helpful guidance on how healthcare leaders can implement personal protective equipment standards in a healthcare site.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that “patients with confirmed or potential SARS CoV-2 infection should wear a mask when medically assessed” and that “healthcare professionals should follow to standard precautions when caring for patients with SARS CoV-2 Infection”.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provides a list of stages on in what way to use personal protective equipment effectively and safely:
- Assemble personal protective equipment.
- Apply hand sanitizer.
- Wear an insulated coat.
- Wear a face mask respirator with an N95 filter or a mask.
- Put on the gloves.
- Wear a face shield or goggles.
After consulting with COVID 19 patients, a doctor should take out personal protective equipment in reverse order and perform hand hygiene after removing everything.
Enhancing the supply of personal protective equipment is an essential responsibility of healthcare executives. Guaranteeing that medical staff and front-line workers in a health facility have suitable equipment is critical, particularly given the current and continuing shortage of critical supplies.
For further details about coronavirus go through the link below-
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
image source
- PPE Health care: www.larepublica.net