If you've ever gone to the dentist, you probably remember feeling latex gloved hands sifting
through your mouth.
And your dentist was probably making light conversation wearing a mask that
looks like this.
Your teeth might be getting cleaned, but that doesn't mean you're germ free.
Dental workers wear these masks and gloves to help control the spread of infectious particles
and other unwanted germs that reside in the human mouth.
Latex gloves and face masks are two types of PPE, or personal protective equipment.
PPE includes a variety of protective gear, like goggles, helmets, and clothing that are
designed to protect a person's body from injury or infection.
And it's not just dentists who wear PPEs.
Construction workers wear hard hats to protect their heads.
Aircraft fuelers and baggage handlers wear ear muffs to prevent damage to their hearing.
And factory workers wear special glasses to protect their eyes from debris.
In the medical field, PPE can extend well beyond face masks and gloves, depending on
the type of patient and treatment provided.
With highly contagious diseases such as the novel coronavirus, you've probably heard of
PPE and its high demand for those treating sick patients.
PPE acts as a shield against harmful bacteria, viruses, and infectious particles.
Healthcare professionals, or HCPs, who are at risk of infection are covered from head
to toe in this protective equipment.
To tell us a little more about PPE is Jordan, a nurse caring for patients with COVID-19
in Georgia.
Hi Jordan.
Hello.
Let's start at the basics if you will.
What is the purpose of PPE and why is it so important in your line of work?
So PPE, also known as personal protective equipment, the main reason we wear it is to protect ourselves--the
caregivers--who are taking care of somebody who might have something that can be very
infectious.
There's lots of different levels that people wear.
But the main reason is to protect ourselves and so we can protect our other patients that
we're taking care of who might not necessarily have that infection.
During a time when we're seeing many more patients than usual with an infectious disease,
how does that impact the level of PPE that you're wearing?
Well when you have something that's extremely infectious, you want to make sure that you're
completely covered.
You don't want to take any chances.
Especially with COVID-19 or corona being extremely infectious, we don't take any chances and
we're covered head to toe.
So what we're doing is we'll have gowns on.
So gowns that cover your whole body all the way down, almost to your feet.
So long gowns.
We'll have--normally my hair would be up in a bun.
So I would have that protected with a cap of some sort or disposable hairnet.
You'll have an N95 mask.
Those are those masks that you see people a lot in the hospital walking around with.
And then you'll also have either goggles that will cover your eyes.
So you want to make sure your eyes are covered at all times as well.
Goggles or complete face shields, sometimes people will have those.
And then as well as two layers of gloves just to make sure your hands are completely covered,
and then you'll also have booties on.
These little disposable booties that you can take off after each patient's room so that
you're not worried about possibly infecting the rest of the hospital when you're walking
around.
So long story short: nothing is exposed.
No.
When we walk in, you have to announce who you are so you can tell the patient who you are.
Because they cannot tell who you are other than your eye balls.
Well and then let's get into taking it off.
So I know you have to be very careful not to risk contamination to yourself when you're
removing your PPE.
Yeah, so honestly the most important thing would be taking it off.
That's when you have to pay attention the most because one wrong move and you've kind
of just ruined all of the protective equipment that you had on yourself and you risk contaminating
yourself with it.
When it comes to the gloves, there's a particular way so that nothing ever touches your body
or your skin.
Let me try to show this through the computer, so you'll pinch the outside of the glove.
And then you'll pull it off so then only the part that's been touching your skin is available.
And then you'll take your finger and you'll go inside the gloves, so you're never touching
the outside of your glove.
And you almost make like a little ball out of it.
And then you wash your hands.
Yes, and wash your hands.
We've been emphasizing that.
Well awesome, Jordan!
Thank you so much for sharing that information and your specific expertise.
It's really helpful.
We really appreciate it.
And most importantly, thank you for caring for those who are sick.
No problem.
It's what I love doing.
Bye, Jordan.
Bye.
Like Jordan explained, putting on and taking off full body PPE requires a special process.
This is called donning and doffing.
Donning, or putting on the gear, is done before entering an isolation room to reduce exposure
to contaminants.
The first few steps involve sanitizing your hands and putting on shoe coverings and an
isolation gown.
When dealing with highly infectious patients, like those with coronavirus, HCPs often use
an N95 respirator.
It's a special type of face piece that removes 95% of particles that are in the air that's
breathed in.
That's a super important feature because N95s are capable of filtering out all types of
particles, including bacteria and viruses that live in the air.
After the respirator is securely fitted over the nose and mouth, the HCP puts on a hair
covering and face shield, or goggles, which protect the eyes and other parts of the face.
And last but not least, hands are once again sanitized and gloves are put on.
After the patient has been cared for, it's extremely important that the PPE is taken
off--or doffed--correctly.
Gloves are removed first and done so in a way that avoids bare hands touching the outside
of the gloves.
The gown and shoe coverings are then removed.
Followed by thorough hand washing.
And the removal the hair covering and face shield.
When the respirator is removed, it's important to avoid touching the front of it because
it could have captured contaminated particles.
And lastly, of course, hands are washed once again.
Most of the items, like shoe coverings, gloves, N95s, and isolation gowns are carefully disposed
of to prevent the spread of any harmful particles that made their way onto that equipment.
That's called a single-use item.
And because these items can only be used once, in the midst of an infectious outbreak like
COVID-19, there's a tremendous demand for PPE in hospitals.
Companies all over the world have helped their communities by donating latex gloves, N95
respirators, and other types of PPE to assist hospitals in need.
Students have even stepped up to create face masks and 3D print bands that hold face shields
into place.
And even if you don't have the equipment at home to engineer your own PPE, there's still
an important role you can play to help curb the spread of infectious diseases.
Wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds with soap and water.
Disinfect commonly touched surfaces like doorknobs, countertops, and phone screens.
Cough or sneeze into your elbow or into a tissue.
Avoid others who are sick.
And even though it might seem hard to do, stay home as much as possible.
Limiting the number of those infected at a given time will help doctors and nurses manage
care for their patients and reduce the demand for PPE all at once.
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