Best practices in veterinary personal protective equipment

Abstract

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used every day in veterinary practice. In the context of infectious disease control, PPE functions as a barrier against disease transmission and spread. It is selected based on a disease risk assessment and the circumstances in which it is to be used. Higher levels of protection require more complex PPE. However, PPE is only effective as a barrier if it corresponds to the level of protection needed for the infectious agent involved and its chain of transmission; fits the employee correctly and remains uncompromised; is put on (donned) and taken off (doffed) according to a protocol that minimises contamination; is disposed of safely; and no errors occur during patient examination or any of the other steps in the process. Training veterinary personnel in the use of PPE is often neglected and ample evidence in the literature suggests that fewer than 50% of healthcare workers receive such training and use the equipment according to protocol. Developing evidence-based training programmes that allow employees to demonstrate their proficiency is an opportunity to improve PPE use. Methods that highlight potential contamination and let employees assess their performance are highly desirable. This paper will discuss which factors determine PPE selection, what PPE options are available, and the different training levels that should be considered.