A Healthcare Providers Guide To Personal Protective Equipment

If you are a healthcare provider, you probably do not need to be told why personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical in any medical setting. PPE helps to protect the healthcare worker from infection or injury from the biomaterial or chemicals they are handling. For example, when using corrosive substances such as acids, it can help to have safety glasses as well as other protective equipment to protect the eyes, face, and other parts of the body. 

In this article, we are going to look at personal protective equipment and in particular, explore some of the things that healthcare providers should know.

No One Size Fits All

Since a lot of PPE is bought in bulk by large medical facilities, there is a tendency for purchasing leads to use a one-size-fits-all approach. Nothing can be further from the truth and to make it worse, this behavior can lead to non-compliance. For example, many medical facilities purchase latex gloves without giving much thought to the fact that some of their healthcare workers may be allergic to latex. This in turn places such workers in a difficult position as using such gloves means that they suffer allergic reactions. In extreme cases, such healthcare workers may proceed with their duties without using medical gloves, with serious consequences.

The lesson here is that it is important to take a specific approach when it comes to PPE. You should understand the unique needs of your healthcare workers before proceeding to order PPE.

Sizing Matters

PPE is not just about its suitability for a particular purpose but it is also about size. If protective equipment does not fit, then it will not be as effective as it is supposed to be. This means understanding exactly who is going to wear the PPE and ensuring that the right sizes are available for everyone. For example, face masks that do not fit properly can leave critical parts of the face exposed to injury or infection.

Quality Matters as Well

As a healthcare worker, you may probably know that not all PPE is equal. Some medical gloves are better than others and so on. When it comes to purchasing PPE, you should remember that low-quality PPE gives your healthcare workers a false sense of protection while offering almost no kind of protection for them. This doubles the risk of injury or infection. Low-quality PPE is also bad for business as most of it will break or tear when in use or during sterilization. This means higher replacement costs and thus an impact on your bottom line.

Training Helps

To help your healthcare providers get the most out of the PPE, it is important to train them on how the equipment should be used and why it matters. Never assume that your workers know when to use PPE. 

At ProNorth Medical Corporation, we are determined to get you the best in PPE. We have many years of experience in this field so you can trust us to give you effective products and solutions.