personal protective equipment

Importance of Personal Protective Equipment in Healthcare Settings

Workplace hazards are inevitable, especially in occupations like healthcare, construction, manufacturing, mining, and chemical laboratories. However, as a responsible organization, you must make attempts to reduce them by using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). PPE gears are most commonly used in healthcare settings, and the year 2020 has drastically accelerated the use of PPE. This has increased the pressure on PPE manufacturers in the USA to meet the demand spikes. This article intends to enlighten you on the importance of personal protective equipment in healthcare settings like hospitals, doctor’s offices, and clinical labs. 

So, let’s begin! 

What is Personal Protective Equipment? 

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets, gloves, face shields, goggles, facemasks and/or respirators or other equipment designed to protect the wearer from injury or the spread of infection or illness.” 

PPE gears act as a barrier between your body surface and infections pathogens. This protective barrier blocks the transmission of contaminants from body fluids, blood, or respiratory excretions.  

When used effectively and with other precautionary measures like hand-washing, using hand sanitizers, and wearing face masks, PPE reduces the spread of infections, like SARS-CoV-2, from one individual to another. The right use of PPE includes properly doffing and discarding contaminated PPE to prevent exposing the user as well as other people to infection.  

During the global pandemic, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) demands “healthcare workers to use proper PPE when exposed to a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 or other sources of SARS-CoV-2.” 

When an infection or disease outbreak impacts a large US population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) makes specific recommendations for infection or disease control measures in various settings and situations. The CDC and FDA also regulate the manufacturing and quality of PPE like face masks, medical protective clothing, etc.  

Therefore, all face mask and medical gown manufacturers in the USA must follow the FDA’s regulations and abide by the applicable voluntary consensus standards for protection. 

Examples of Personal Protective Equipment 

Here are the examples of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): 

  • Face masks and respirators 
  • Face shields 
  • Gloves 
  • Goggles 
  • Fall protection and harnesses 
  • Coverall suits 
  • Helmets 
  • Workboots 

PPE for healthcare professionals consists of medical gowns, gloves, surgical masks, face shields, and NIOSH-certified, disposable N95 respirators. 

Even amidst our fight against the coronavirus, the use of personal protective equipment is crucial in all high-risk workplaces because it prevents illnesses, injuries, and deaths. 

Significance of Personal Protective Equipment in the Healthcare Sector 

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the first line of defense for healthcare workers complemented by robust environmental, engineering, and administrative controls. Healthcare workers use PPE to reduce the exposure to infectious pathogens or hazardous materials in the healthcare setting. They put on transmission-based equipment like gloves, medical gowns, face shields, masks, and respirators as well as practice hand hygiene when caring for patients with confirmed or suspected infection. PPE places a patient in proper isolation to control the spread of the infection. 

The main mode of transmission for SARS-CoV-2 is the inhalation of respiratory excretions. So, when treating or caring for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection in clinical settings, healthcare workers must wear a medical gown, N95 or equivalent respirator, gloves, and eye protection. In the case of aerosol-producing processes, a premium quality respirator is needed to be worn. 

From head to toe, different PPE items are designed to serve different purposes in the healthcare sector. For example, chemical splash goggles are used for better protection against biological splashes in medical settings. Disposable medical protective clothing prevents penetration of any chemical or bioagent into the human body. Essential face masks like N95 mask respirators are ideal for protection against hazardous airborne pathogens. These masks prevent pathogens from entering the body through the nose or mouth. Additionally, face shields act as an additional layer of protection for the eyes, nose, and mouth of the wearer. 

Things to Consider for Effective Use of PPE  

There are certain considerations that healthcare organizations need to pay attention to while protecting their healthcare professionals. As a healthcare organization, first, you need to create awareness on selecting the right PPE based on a specific situation. Also, you must train your healthcare personnel on the proper use, disposal, reuse, and storage of different PPE items. Any type of contaminated medical waste can lead to the possibility of cross-contamination. Therefore, your healthcare workers must know how to properly discard them to reduce the risk of contamination. 

According to the CDC, here’s how healthcare workers can effectively and safely wear personal protective equipment 

  • Next, put on an N95 respirator or a surgical face mask 
  • Then, put on a face shield or goggles for eye protection 
  • Lastly, wear a pair of medical-grade gloves 

After communicating or caring for a patient or several patients with COVID-19, a healthcare employee must immediately remove the PPE in reverse order and wash hands after removing all items. 

Healthcare organizations must also focus on optimizing PPE supplies. They must ensure that there is adequate stock of PPE for medical staff and frontline workers in a healthcare setting. Partnering with authorized PPE distributors is the best way to maintain your PPE inventory. 

Conclusion 

The catastrophic effects of the global pandemic have showed us the importance of personal protective equipment in the healthcare sector and other industries. Healthcare organizations have implemented PPE use guidelines, such as wearing masks or respirators, face shields, and medical gowns, and frequently performing hand hygiene to reduce the spread of COVID-19. 

Healthcare managers should also consider partnering with authorized PPE, face mask, and medical gown manufacturers in the USA to ensure an ongoing supply of personal protective equipment. 

We are hopeful that we will defeat this global pandemic with our persistent efforts. We all have learned a great lesson from this outbreak. Personal hygiene and safety needs will be the top priority for the general public as well as industries worldwide. 

If you’re looking for trusted PPE distributors in the USA, you can contact Co-Defend for your PPE requirements. 

Frequently Asked Question

Q.1. How does PPE help reduce the spread of the infection? 

Ans. PPE is mostly used in the healthcare environment to build a barrier between healthcare personnel and infectious pathogens from the infected patients. It reduces the risk of transmitting pathogens from healthcare employees to the patient(s) and vice-versa. 

Q.2. What PPE items are essential for healthcare workers? 

Ans. Some of the essential PPE items for healthcare workers include medical-grade gloves, surgical masks, goggles, face shields, and NIOSH-certified, disposable N95 respirators. As one of the leading PPE distributors in the USA, we offer a wide range of PPE items at affordable prices. Contact us to place your order today. 

Do You Have More Questions? Feel Free to Ask Our PPE Experts Now! 

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