By: Donna Martin  What is PPE and why is it important to you?  What will you need and why?  What do you put on first? Last?  In what order do you take off PPE?  Conclusion  Work Cited -bad/

What is PPE and why is it important to you?  Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection[1].  PPE prevents you from coming in contact with a potential infectious agent or bodily fluid that may contain an infectious agent by creating a barrier between the potential infectious material and yourself[2]. sneezing/

What will you need and why?  Gloves- Gloves help protect you when directly handling potentially infectious materials or contaminated surfaces. Vinyl, latex or nitrile gloves may be worn.  Gown- Gowns help protect you from the contamination of clothing with potentially infectious material.  Mask- Surgical masks help protect your nose and mouth from splattered body fluids.  Head Covering and Feet Covering (OR) - Shoe and head covers provide a barrier against possible exposure within a contaminated environment. ***What PPE you need to wear is dependent upon the infectious agent. Is it airborne, droplet, etc. programs-against-infectious-diseases htm

 Gown  Mask  Gloves 07ip_fig.html

In what order do you take off PPE?  Gown and Gloves- All PPE is considered contaminated! Use your gloved hands to kind of pull the gown from your body. As you are removing the gown, you should be rolling it inside out and peeling off your gloves at the same time[3].  Mask- The mask is to be removed last. Keep in mind that if your hands get contaminated during the process you should wash them immediately. disease.php

Flu season is right around the corner and although you may not want to walk around campus in full PPE, it is still important to know the precautionary steps you could take. Wearing a mask could prevent you from catching something when the person next you doesn’t know how to cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze. Simply washing your hands can help prevent the spreading of germs of course. e_flu_vaccine_on_campus.cfm

[1] Personal Protective Equipment. (2015, August 13). Retrieved September 7, [2] Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Infection Control. (2014, October 7). Retrieved September 7, [3] Sequence For Putting On Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2015