infection control

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) — Doffing

Taking PPE off safely is as important as putting it on, because the outside of gloves, gown, eye protection and mask is contaminated.

8 steps5 criticalLimit 3 minAlways tested

Steps

1Critical stepRemove all PPE before leaving the patient room; keep a respirator on until you have left and closed the door
2Critical stepRemove gloves first: with a gloved hand, grasp the palm area of the other gloved hand and peel off the first glove
3Hold the removed glove in your gloved hand, slide the fingers of your bare hand under the remaining glove at the wrist, and peel it off over the first glove; discard both in a waste container
4Critical stepRemove goggles or a face shield from the back by lifting the headband or ear pieces, without touching the front
5Remove the gown: unfasten the ties without letting the sleeves touch your body, and pull it away from your neck and shoulders, touching only the inside
6Critical stepTurn the gown inside out, fold or roll it into a bundle, and discard it in a waste container
7Critical stepRemove the mask or respirator by grasping the bottom ties or elastics, then the top ones, without touching the front, and discard it; a respirator is removed only after you have left the room and closed the door
8Perform hand hygiene immediately after removing all PPE

Tips

This skill follows CDC removal Example 1: gloves, goggles or face shield, gown, mask or respirator, then hand hygiene. CDC says other safe methods exist.
Sources differ on order: WTCS removes gloves, gown, performs hand hygiene, then removes eye protection and mask, with hand hygiene again; CDC Example 2 removes gown and gloves together. Follow your course's method on the exam.
If your hands get contaminated during removal, perform hand hygiene right away, then continue.

Pulling on the front of the mask or face shield.
Touching bare skin to the outside of a glove.
Letting gown sleeves touch your body.
Removing a respirator inside the patient room instead of after leaving and closing the door.

Practice this skill

Practise the sequence with critical-step highlighting and a rationale for each step.

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Sources and how we check them: How we verify.