According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all persons entering the patient’s room should wear at least gloves, gown (fluid resistant or impermeable), eye protection (goggles or face shield) and a face mask. Double gloving might be required, along with additional PPE, in certain situations (copious amounts of blood, other bodily fluids, vomit, or feces present in the environment).

CDC states that healthcare facilities should consider posting personnel at a patient’s door to ensure appropriate and consistent use of PPE by all persons entering the room.

Upon leaving the patient’s room or care area, PPE including gloves should be carefully removed, according to CDC, without contaminating one’s eyes, mucous membranes, or clothing with potentially infectious materials, and discarded. For re-usable PPE, CDC recommends cleaning and disinfecting gear according to the manufacturer’s reprocessing instructions and hospital policies. Hand hygiene should be performed immediately once PPE is removed, according to CDC.

For aerosol-generating procedures, healthcare personnel should wear gloves, a gown, disposable shoe covers, and either a face shield that fully covers the front and sides of the face or goggles, and respiratory protection that is at least as protective as a NIOSH-certified fit-tested N95 filtering facepiece respirator or higher (e.g., powered air purifying respiratory or elastomeric respirator).