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Question

Difficulty: EasyAccident, Error, and Injury Prevention

A practical nurse has finished providing care to a client placed on contact and droplet precautions. Arrange the steps for removing personal protective equipment (PPE) in the correct sequence to prevent self-contamination before exiting the room.

  1. 1Remove and discard the gloves.
  2. 2Remove the protective eyewear or face shield.
  3. 3Untie and remove the isolation gown.
  4. 4Remove the surgical mask.

Answer

The correct sequence for PPE removal (doffing) is: gloves, followed by protective eyewear, then the isolation gown, and finally the surgical mask.
The standard sequence for removing PPE prioritizes removing the most contaminated items first while continually protecting the mucous membranes. Gloves are the most soiled and are removed first. Next, eyewear is removed handling only the clean straps. The gown is then removed and rolled inside-out. The mask is always removed last to ensure the respiratory tract remains protected throughout the entire doffing procedure.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Remove gloves.
The most heavily contaminated items are safely disposed of.
This prevents the transfer of pathogens from the hands to the face or clean areas of other PPE.
2
Remove protective eyewear.
Eye protection is safely taken off without facial contamination.
With clean hands, the nurse can safely touch the uncontaminated back straps or earpieces.
3
Remove the isolation gown.
The gown is bundled and disposed of safely.
Rolling the gown inside-out contains any infectious material from the front and sleeves.
4
Remove the surgical mask.
The respiratory protection is taken off last.
The mask remains in place to prevent the inhalation of any aerosolized particles that might have been generated while removing the other PPE items.

Key Concept

Proper sequence for removing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
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Topics

Accident, Error, and Injury Prevention

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