When should PPE be removed and hand hygiene performed during a patient care interaction?

When should PPE be removed and hand hygiene performed during a patient care interaction?

• A. After completing patient contact or when PPE is contaminated or torn; remove in the proper order and perform hand hygiene immediately.
• B. Before patient contact.
• C. After leaving the room only.
• D. Only after washing hands first.

Answer: (A)

Removing PPE and performing hand hygiene at the right time is all about preventing self-contamination. Doffing should happen after you’ve finished patient contact or as soon as any item becomes contaminated or torn, and you should take off each piece in the correct order to avoid transferring pathogens to your skin or clothing. Immediately after removing the last piece, you must perform hand hygiene to remove any material you may have touched during the doffing process. Use the appropriate method: alcohol-based hand rub if hands aren’t visibly dirty, or soap and water if they are. Choosing to remove PPE before patient contact would leave you unprotected during care. Waiting to clean until after you leave the room can let contaminants spread. And cleaning hands only after washing them and then removing PPE doesn’t prevent possible transfer that can occur during the doffing itself. The emphasis here is on doffing promptly when no longer needed or when contaminated, followed by immediate hand hygiene to maintain a safe, clean state.

Removing PPE and performing hand hygiene at the right time is all about preventing self-contamination. Doffing should happen after you’ve finished patient contact or as soon as any item becomes contaminated or torn, and you should take off each piece in the correct order to avoid transferring pathogens to your skin or clothing. Immediately after removing the last piece, you must perform hand hygiene to remove any material you may have touched during the doffing process. Use the appropriate method: alcohol-based hand rub if hands aren’t visibly dirty, or soap and water if they are.

Choosing to remove PPE before patient contact would leave you unprotected during care. Waiting to clean until after you leave the room can let contaminants spread. And cleaning hands only after washing them and then removing PPE doesn’t prevent possible transfer that can occur during the doffing itself. The emphasis here is on doffing promptly when no longer needed or when contaminated, followed by immediate hand hygiene to maintain a safe, clean state.