Donning and Doffing Personal Protective Equipment
Putting on, or donning, and taking off, or doffing, personal protective equipment is
an essential part of being able to safely care for highly infectious patients.
In this video, we will demonstrate techniques for how to properly don and doff PPE, which
are based on recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
But you should make sure to adhere to your own institution’s specific guidelines.
DONNING PPE
You should don personal protective equipment at a safe distance away from the patient.
This will be outside of the patient’s room in most cases
First, make sure your hair is pulled back away from your face.
Next, perform hand hygiene with either an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap and water.
If using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, remember to allow the sanitizer to dry completely
before moving onto the next step.
Then, put on your gown making sure that the gown fully covers your body when closed or
tied, and does not slip down off your shoulder.
There are many types of gowns available.
The gown should wrap all the way around your body, cover your torso from neck to knees;
and fully cover your arms all the way down to your wrists.
Next, put on the respirator mask.
Hold the respirator in one hand and bring to your face.
Pull the lower elastic band over your head and below your ears.
Pull the upper elastic band over your head and above your ears.
Press the nose clip to ensure a tight seal of the respirator to your face.
Make sure you do not feel any leaks around the respirator.
Remember to avoid touching your face.
Next, put on your eye protection.
You can use either a face shield or googles.
Then, perform hand hygiene.
Finally, put on your gloves making sure that the gloves go up and over the cuff of the
gown.
If possible, have a colleague check to make sure you have followed appropriate donning
procedures.
You are now ready to enter the patient’s room.
DOFFING PPE
Doffing PPE is the time that you are at highest risk for contamination.
Make sure you are slow and careful during all of these steps.
If possible, have a colleague check to make sure you follow appropriate doffing procedures.
Remember your gloves, face shield, and the front and sleeves of gown are CONTAMINATED.
So wash your hands immediately AT ANY TIME if you touch or may have touched any of these
surfaces with your bare hands.
And make sure the waste receptacle is open before you begin.
You will begin by doffing all personal protective equipment, except for your respirator, in
the patient’s room.
There are several ways to remove PPE.
We will now walk you through two ways to remove PPE safely.
If you are using reusable gowns that tie in back or that wrap around the front of the
body, you should use this first method.
You can also use this method with single use paper gowns as well.
Start by taking off your gloves.
Grasp the gloves in the palm of your hand and slowly pull the glove off.
Discard the glove in a waste container.
Slowly and gently, slide a finger under the other glove, between the glove and the cuff
of the gown, and slide the glove off.
Do not touch the contaminated cuff or outside of the glove.
Discard the glove in a waste container.
Perform hand hygiene.
Remove your eye protection, avoiding touching the front of the eye protection.
If using a face shield, tilt your head forward, grasp the strap and gently pull the strap
over your head, pulling the face shield away from your face.
If using goggles, tilt your head forward, and grasp the ear pieces above the ears and
pull the goggles away from your face.
Discard the face shield or goggles in a waste or reprocessing container.
Perform hand hygiene.
Slowly and deliberately, remove your gown.
Avoid touching the outside, contaminated surface of the gown as well as your face.
If you are using a gown that ties in the back, untie the gown, pull the gown down from your
head and away from your body, and touch only the inside surface as you pull the gown off.
Gently, wrap the gown into a ball with the contaminated surface inside of the ball.
Discard the gown in a waste or reprocessing container.
If you are using a wrap-around gown, reach around the back and slide a hand between the
outside layer and clean inside of the gown.
Remove the outer layer from your shoulder.
Gently slide shoulders out of the gown.
To remove your arms from the sleeves, slide your finger under the clean cuff of the sleeve.
Remember that the cuff was covered by a glove.
Then, pull the sleeve off gently, avoiding shaking the gown.
Repeat on the other side.
Gently, wrap the gown into a ball with the contaminated surface inside of the ball.
Discard the gown in a waste container.
Perform hand hygiene.
With your respirator still in place, leave the patient’s room and enter the anteroom
or the hallway.
Remove your respirator by gently pulling the lower elastic band over your head.
Then gently pull the upper elastic band over your head and pull the respirator away from
your face.
Make sure you don’t snap or fling the respirator.
Discard the respirator in a waste container.
Finally, perform hand hygiene with either an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap and
water.
If you are using a paper gown with ties that can be ripped, you can use the second method
where you will remove the gown and gloves together.
Start by removing the gown and gloves together.
Grasp the front of the gown and slowly pull away, breaking the ties in the back.
Pull the gown away from the body, and wrap the gown into a bundle with the contaminated
surface inside.
As you remove your arms from the gown, peel out of your gloves at the same time.
Discard the gown and gloves in a waste container.
Perform hand hygiene.
Remove your eye protection, avoiding touching the front of the eye protection.
If using a face shield, tilt your head forward, grasp the strap and gently pull the strap
over your head, pulling the face shield away from your face.
If using goggles, tilt your head forward, and grasp the ear pieces above the ears and
pull the goggles away from your face.
Discard the face shield or goggles in waste or reprocessing container.
Perform hand hygiene.
With your respirator still in place, leave the patient’s room and enter the anteroom
or the hallway.
Remove your respirator by gently pulling the lower elastic band over your head.
Then gently pull the upper elastic band over your head and pull the respirator away from
your face.
Make sure you don’t snap or fling the respirator.
Discard the respirator in a waste container.
Finally, perform hand hygiene with either an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap and
water.