Page 120 - Petelin, Ana. 2021. Ed. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 120
avje starostnikov | health of the elderly 118 Most common mistakes with PPE use
The students noticed quite a few mistakes at work that should be pointed out
and prevented in the future. In most nursing homes, staff saved for reuse the
same protective coats during lunch. The coats made contact with different sur-
faces (chairs, tables etc.) and, after grabbing them again, they did not disinfect
those surfaces. Such a surface (fomite), poses a risk for transmission of the vi-
rus.
In the ward, we took it off (the coat), like everyone, with or without
disinfection, we usually left it on a chair in the dining room and went
up stairs to the main dining room without it. Later, we put the coat
back on, as well as the hat and vizor we had worn before. This could
be better. Q: Did you later disinfect the chair? A: No.(S4)
Students also observed that the staff often did not follow the correct wip-
ing techniques and took faster, more dangerous shortcuts.
It seems to me, that the biggest mistake came when taking off the
coats that we had to constantly put on and off, and the employees
didn’t care to touch them where it was clean, they took them off with
their bare hands, they just placed them down, and would then disin-
fect their hands a little bit.
Unclear guidelines meant that the use of gloves varied. In some places,
staff wore single gloves, which they changed, and then they disinfected their
hands, which is supposed to be the correct way. Others wore double or even tri-
ple gloves and changed only the top layer. Such gloves become permeable and
carry the risk of infection transmission, while it is also impossible to disin-
fect one’s hands regularly. Errors were observed in the exchange of disposable
PVC coats between patients and in some nursing homes, even the complete ab-
sence of them: “But sometimes they didn’t have any at all. They thought: ‘Tyvek
is protection anyway’; But it is protection for you, and you can still transmit!”
(S10).
It was similar regarding equipment like a trolley and dry bath foam.
These were intended for the whole department and were not disinfected be-
tween use by different residents.
The mixing of staff from different zones was observed. This may create
the possibility of infection transmission and should thus be avoided. Many er-
rors were observed during the time for resting and meals – inconsistent adher-
ence to safety distance, non-use of PPE, many people in a small space, the lack
of ventilation.
They had lunch and coffee together, not separately. The nurses were
eating together, talking without masks. So I think those who were in-
fected got it from other staff, not from the residents. I was there, I had
The students noticed quite a few mistakes at work that should be pointed out
and prevented in the future. In most nursing homes, staff saved for reuse the
same protective coats during lunch. The coats made contact with different sur-
faces (chairs, tables etc.) and, after grabbing them again, they did not disinfect
those surfaces. Such a surface (fomite), poses a risk for transmission of the vi-
rus.
In the ward, we took it off (the coat), like everyone, with or without
disinfection, we usually left it on a chair in the dining room and went
up stairs to the main dining room without it. Later, we put the coat
back on, as well as the hat and vizor we had worn before. This could
be better. Q: Did you later disinfect the chair? A: No.(S4)
Students also observed that the staff often did not follow the correct wip-
ing techniques and took faster, more dangerous shortcuts.
It seems to me, that the biggest mistake came when taking off the
coats that we had to constantly put on and off, and the employees
didn’t care to touch them where it was clean, they took them off with
their bare hands, they just placed them down, and would then disin-
fect their hands a little bit.
Unclear guidelines meant that the use of gloves varied. In some places,
staff wore single gloves, which they changed, and then they disinfected their
hands, which is supposed to be the correct way. Others wore double or even tri-
ple gloves and changed only the top layer. Such gloves become permeable and
carry the risk of infection transmission, while it is also impossible to disin-
fect one’s hands regularly. Errors were observed in the exchange of disposable
PVC coats between patients and in some nursing homes, even the complete ab-
sence of them: “But sometimes they didn’t have any at all. They thought: ‘Tyvek
is protection anyway’; But it is protection for you, and you can still transmit!”
(S10).
It was similar regarding equipment like a trolley and dry bath foam.
These were intended for the whole department and were not disinfected be-
tween use by different residents.
The mixing of staff from different zones was observed. This may create
the possibility of infection transmission and should thus be avoided. Many er-
rors were observed during the time for resting and meals – inconsistent adher-
ence to safety distance, non-use of PPE, many people in a small space, the lack
of ventilation.
They had lunch and coffee together, not separately. The nurses were
eating together, talking without masks. So I think those who were in-
fected got it from other staff, not from the residents. I was there, I had
