INFECTION PREVENTION
PPE for healthcare workers requires superior form and function
by Kara Nadeau ID 182549399 © Dan Bar |
Dreamstime.com P
ersonal protective equipment (PPE) has become a household term because of the COVID-19 pan-
demic. We have all become too familiar with masks, gloves, face shields and other protective items. So, what more is there to say about the topic? In fact, there is new research showing
how common PPE may be inadequate in protecting healthcare workers (HCW) when handling contaminated instruments and devices. In some cases, it is the PPE itself that is contributing to cross contamination. When looking outside the box of conven- tional PPE used to protect against microbes, there are product innovations to protect HCW against other dangers facing them each day, such as chemical and radiologi- cal hazards.
And with supply chain issues having
become a way of life in the U.S., PPE manu- facturers are bringing more production capacity onshore and nearshore to boost domestic inventory.
Protecting CS/SPD from splash back
Central Service/Sterile Processing & Distribution (CS/SPD) department teams manually decontaminate instruments and devices that can harbor human blood, tis- sue and secretions (e.g., urine, feces). They wear PPE to protect them from the splash that occurs while cleaning products in the decontamination sink, but recent research has shed light on the fact that it isn’t enough. A study published in the October 2022 edition of the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) found manual cleaning of a colonoscope and a transvaginal ultrasound probe in a new sterile processing depart- ment of a large urban academic medical center generated droplets that traveled
over seven feet from the sink, hitting the technician at the sink and observers three to four feet away. Droplets were detected on counters,
walls, a wall-mounted water fi ltration sys- tem, an irrigation system, a magnifying glass, a leak tester, fl oors and carts. Wearing shoe covers heavily exposed to droplets and puddles, technicians tracked mois- ture from the decontamination sink to an automated endoscope reprocessor, to the unit door, and out into the PPE foyer - a 15-foot path.1 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Immediate Past President Ann Marie Pettis, RN, BSN, CIC, FAPIC, says healthcare facilities can use this study to educate CS/ SPD staff members on the risks they face when decon- taminating instruments and the proper precautions required. “It is all a matter of degree. We know there will be droplets, but the fact that it spreads so far was the really interesting part to me,” said Pettis. “It’s one thing to say PPE is important, but to share something like this study is powerful, using real world science to help bring home the importance.” Pettis says while wearing proper PPE, such as impermeable gowns, long heavy- duty gloves, full face shield, and head and shoe coverings, is essential to protecting staff against contamination, adherence to proper PPE doffi ng and hand hygiene pro- cedures is equally, if not more important in some cases. This includes restriction of PPE doffi ng to the decontamination room, avail- ability of hand hygiene products during and after doffi ng, and limiting hand washing to a designated clean sink.
Ann Marie Pettis
24 December 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
“As infection preventionists and educa- tors, we need to reevaluate how we’re doing this training and making these points to our staff members, including making sure we have visual cues always set up for them. As humans when we get familiar and comfort- able with a process, we tend to get compla- cent, so training is not a one and done event. Again, using a study like this can help bring these points home.”
Personal protection during transport The transport of dirty instruments from pro- cedural areas to the CS/SPD department is another process that presents contamination risk to HCW, the environment and patients. Healthmark recently launched its new single-use, Disposable SST Tray System for post-procedure transportation of contami- nated instruments from procedure areas to the decontamination area. The tray is clear and can be used to identify the instru- ments inside conveniently and quickly. Manufactured from 100% recyclable plas- tic (RPET), the Disposable SST Tray System (DSST-001-10) comes with a base with the dimensions of 30cm L x 33cm W x 11cm D (11.8” L x 12.9” W x 4.0” D), as well as a matching lid. Weight capacity of the tray has been tested to 25 lbs. The DSST-001-10 is available for purchase in a quantity of 10.
Stopping microbes in their tracks
Sometimes personal protection isn’t about what you wear, but the cleanliness of it.
Healthmark new single-use, Disposable SST Tray System
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