High-Level Personal Protective Equipment

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Recommended: Management of the ebola virus

When interacting with a patient who is infected with ebola, a healthcare professional should wearing high level Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This includes PPE that covers the clothing and skin; also PPE must also completely protect mucous membranes. A single-use impermeable gown that extends to at least mid-calf is required. A single-use impermeable coverall is also acceptable. These two pieces of PPE should be available in appropriate sizes for individuals with longer arms or legs. Thumb loops are recommended with overalls to assure the sleeves stay in place. For respiratory PPE, an individual should wear a PAPR or a disposable, NIOSH-certified N95 respirator. The PAPRs with a full-face cover is recommended; these make it harder for …show more content…

This housing should be a single-patient room with a private bathroom. If a private bathroom is not accessible then a covered bedside commode with bagging of human waste should be used as an alternative method. The door to this patient's room should be closed at all times; any person or equipment removed from this room is considered contaminated. When examining a patient, the healthcare worker should look for signs of fever symptoms, severe headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or unexplained hemorrhage. If these symptoms occur in a patient he/she is a Person Under Investigation (PUI). Any PUI should be taken to an appropriate ebola patient setting . The ebola virus is spread through direct contact with blood or body fluids of an infected person. Ebola can also be aerosols. This should not affect an individual's PPE since he/she should be wearing a respiratory protection regardless . In my opinion, the Dallas hospital should have enacted the ebola protocol as soon as they knew the patient's symptoms. The U.S healthcare system should have been on high alert with the new disease. With the patient experiencing more than three of the ebola symptoms, he should’ve been admitted and placed in

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