PPE

• Assess risk of transmission of the micro-organism to patient or healthcare worker
• Assess risk of contamination of the healthcare workers clothing or skin by the patient’s blood or body fluid
• Assess suitability of the personal protective equipment for proposed use

When

• Wear disposable gloves for:
• Invasive procedures
• Performing aseptic non touch technique (ANTT)
• Contact with sterile sites, non-intact skin or mucous membranes
• Managing surgical wounds
• Anticipated contact or exposure to blood, body fluids, secretions and excretions
• Handling sharp or contaminated instruments
• Application of topical preparations
• Contact with cytotoxic agents
• Contact with chemicals
• When decontaminating equipment

How

• Put gloves on immediately before required and remove as soon as activity is completed
• Following removal of gloves, decontaminate hands
• Change gloves between care activities for different patients or between different care activities on the same patient
• gloves are single-use items

Choice

• Use non-latex gloves
• Choice of sterile or non-sterile will depend on the intended procedure
• A range of CE-marked gloves of different sizes and suitable for the task available in all clinical areas

Fluid-repellent gowns

• Risk of extensive splashing of blood and body fluids
• e.g. major trauma or during major surgical procedures, or for certain infections
• Wear a full-body fluid-repellent gown

Plastic aprons

• Wear a disposable plastic apron if:
• clothing or uniform may be exposed to blood, body fluids, secretions and excretions
• caring for patients with certain infections e.g. Clostridium difficile
• Change plastic aprons between patients and between different care activities on the same patient
• aprons are single-use items

• Wear depending on:
• known/suspected infectious status of the patient
• presenting symptoms
• task involved

Splash and droplets

Droplets

• Droplets are expelled from the respiratory tract during coughing and sneezing
• The minimum distance for droplet precautions is 1 m
• the minimum not an absolute distance

Airborne transmission

• Coughing, sneezing and aerosol generating procedures generate aerosol particles from respiratory tract
• can remain in the air for long periods of time
• be carried over long distances by air currents

Surgical face masks

• Provide a barrier to splashes and droplets impacting on the wearer’s nose, mouth and respiratory tract
• Must be fluid resistant to protect against infection
• Do not provide protection against airborne (aerosol) particles

FFP3 (respirator) masks

• Provide respiratory protection from airborne transmitted organisms and during aerosol generating procedures;
• FFP3 masks are available with/without a valve

Fit testing

• Check each user
• has a mask that is suitable for their face shape
• puts it on with no gaps between the mask and their face for air to pass through unfiltered
• Mask fit key trainers are available throughout the hospital
• should form part of the ward/department’s local induction training of staff

Protective eyewear and face shields

• Wear if:
• secretions, excretions or blood may be splashed or sprayed towards the face
• delivery procedures, surgical/invasive procedures, severe trauma or other
• patient care activities, e.g. suctioning, chest physiotherapy
• resuscitation/intubation and exubation of a patient with suspected/confirmed serious infection e.g. meningitis
• Regular spectacles are not eye protection

• Remove personal protective equipment in the following sequence
• Gloves
• Apron/gown
• Decontaminate hands
• Eye protection
• Mask/respirator
• Decontaminate hands
• Masks are single-use items
• discard in the clinical waste bins