Abstract
ABSTRACTBackground: Healthcare personnel often use incorrect technique for donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE).Objective: We tested the hypothesis that medical students receive insufficient training on correct methods for donning and doffing PPE.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical students on clinical rotations at two teaching hospitals to determine the type of training they received in PPE technique. The students performed simulations of contaminated PPE removal with fluorescent lotion on gloves and were assessed for correct PPE technique and skin and/or clothing contamination. To obtain additional information on PPE training during medical education, residents, fellows, and attending physicians completed written questionnaires on PPE training received during medical school and on knowledge of PPE protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Results: Of 27 medical students surveyed, only 11 (41%) reported receiving PPE training, and none had received training requiring demonstration of proficiency. During simulations, 25 of 27 (92.5%) students had one or more lapses in technique and 12 (44%) contaminated their skin with fluorescent lotion. For 100 residents, fellows and attending physicians representing 67 different medical schools, only 53% reported receiving training in use of PPE and only 39% selected correct donning and doffing sequence.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that there is a need for development of effective strategies to train medical students in correct use of PPE.Abbreviations: PPE: Personal protective equipment; MRSA: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; SARS: Severe acute respiratory syndrome; MERS: Middle East respiratory syndrome; WHO: World Health Organization; CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; OSCE: Objective structured clinical examination
Highlights
Effective use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to protect personnel and patients in healthcare settings [1]
Such contamination contributes to transmission of pathogens such as Clostridium difficile [5] and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) [1], and places patients and medical personnel at risk for acquisition of infection, including with potentially fatal pathogens such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronaviruses, and Ebola virus [6,7]
One strategy to reduce the risk for contamination during donning and doffing of PPE is to educate personnel on proper technique based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols [8]
Summary
Effective use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to protect personnel and patients in healthcare settings [1]. Lapses in technique can lead to an increased risk for contamination of skin and clothing with healthcare-associated pathogens [2,4] Such contamination contributes to transmission of pathogens such as Clostridium difficile [5] and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) [1], and places patients and medical personnel at risk for acquisition of infection, including with potentially fatal pathogens such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronaviruses, and Ebola virus [6,7]. One strategy to reduce the risk for contamination during donning and doffing of PPE is to educate personnel on proper technique based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols [8]. Healthcare personnel often use incorrect technique for donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE). To obtain additional information on PPE training during medical education, residents, fellows, and attending physicians completed written questionnaires on PPE training received during medical school and on knowledge of PPE protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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