Journal Article

Seamless Suits: Reducing Personnel Contamination Through Improved Personal Protective Equipment Design

Tomas, Myreen E., Cadnum, Jennifer L., Jencson, Annette L., Mana, Thriveen S.C., Donskey, Curtis J.

2016

Overview

To the Editor—Healthcare personnel frequently use incorrect technique when putting on and removing isolation gowns and gloves.1–3 Such lapses in technique increase the risk for contamination of the skin and clothing of personnel during personal protective equipment (PPE) removal.1,3 Contamination of the hands and wrists may be particularly common due to exposed skin at the wrist or incorrect technique during glove removal.1,3,4 In surgical settings, the gown–glove interface has also been described as the weakest point in the gown and glove barrier system.5,6 In studies simulating removal of contaminated gloves, education to improve technique reduced but did not eliminate hand and wrist contamination.1,4 Thus, improvements in PPE design to reduce the risk for contamination are needed. [...]it is not known whether the modified PPE would provide a benefit in reducing contamination for personnel who have received training. [...]the prototype design is more difficult to don than standard PPE because the gloves are attached to the gown.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Contamination / Design / Equipment Contamination - prevention & control / Equipment Design / Gloves / Gloves, Protective - microbiology / Gloves, Protective - standards / Hands / Health Personnel / Humans / Infection Control - methods / Letters to the Editor / Ohio / Personal protective equipment / Pollutant removal / Polyethylene / Protective Clothing - microbiology / Protective Clothing - standards / Protective equipment / Skin / Wrist