You likely have seen what PPE looks like. Mostly because most healthcare experts wear them when dealing with COVID-19 patients. PPE, an abbreviation for Personal Protective Equipment is a crucial protective barrier against an infectious outbreak. Healthcare workers have the equipment ready in their ppe cabinet malaysia to protect their clothing, eyes, hands, and face to conduct infection control. However, not many of us keep the equipment with us, just in case.
Part of the equipment includes gloves, medical masks, respirators (N95 or FFP2 standard), eye protection, gowns, aprons, boots, or closed-toe shoes. The equipment basically covers healthcare experts from head to toe. Nonetheless, other protective practices are encouraged as well. PPE isn’t the only protection that matters. Practices such as regular hand-washing, hand sanitizer application, and covering coughs and sneezes also help in preventing infection.
Healthcare workers are always at the ready with a PPE because a COVID-19 outbreak is highly infectious. In addition, physical distancing is out of the question. Doctors must examine their patients closely, and thus a PPE is their shield. Add to that the number of COVID-19 patients they need to examine in a day. Sometimes, healthcare providers have to wear PPE for a very long time. Moreover, processes such as intubation and nebulizers would risk the virus making its way into the air. Thus, protection is needed to treat the patients who need these treatments.
Can PPE be shared?
PPE is for personal use only, hence sharing isn’t encouraged but with few exceptions. Reusing, washing, and sharing aren’t encouraged at all because PPE is a disposable item. However, researchers are looking for ways so that it would be possible to reuse PPE.
Is PPE recommended for public use?
For the public and non-healthcare workers, it’s recommended that they wear masks and there are even guidelines on when and where to employ them. Consider the number of cases there are, and the level of risk in your area. Apart from wearing masks, there isn’t any recommended protection equipment that the public should use. The only time healthcare experts recommend for the public use gloves is when they are cleaning and sanitizing their homes.
It’s not recommended for the public to use gloves because it’s easy to transmit germs that way, from store to store. Even taking the gloves off needs to be proper and careful because the skin can be infected. Therefore it’s why healthcare experts strongly suggest the public wash and sanitize their hands regularly to avoid infection, no matter the time and place.