MedPath

Alternative Doffing Strategies to Prevent Healthcare Worker Self-Contamination When Using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Personal Protective Equipment
Interventions
Behavioral: Double Gloving Procedure
Behavioral: Intensified Hand Hygiene Procedure
Behavioral: One Step Procedure
Behavioral: CDC Procedure
Registration Number
NCT03192553
Lead Sponsor
Virginia Commonwealth University
Brief Summary

Alternative doffing strategies may help prevent self-contamination of staff members when using PPE. The study aims to determine which among the suggested methods in the literature that have been proposed as alternatives to the traditional CDC recommended doffing protocol, would be most beneficial to reduce healthcare worker self-contamination.

Detailed Description

A randomized controlled trial of doffing procedures will be conducted by healthcare worker volunteers who participate in direct patient care. However, doffing simulations will be conducted outside of patient care areas and will not involve patients. Staff participants PPE techniques will be evaluated in the controlled environment of the simulation center of the Unique Pathogens Unit. The comparison groups will be the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) procedure with the addition of a second layer of gloves (double gloving procedure), the CDC procedure with additional hand hygiene performed on gloves at key steps (intensified hand hygiene procedure), and the one-step roll off of gown and gloves (one-step procedure), with the CDC procedure as the control. Participants will be assigned to a doffing protocol chronologically starting with the double glove and ending with the control until 100 volunteers have participated. Additional PPE such as masks and goggles will be removed as part of each of the four protocols. Healthcare workers will receive a demonstration of the donning/doffing from the study coordinator, and perform a practice donn/doff prior to the observed simulation. Only one volunteer with participate in each simulation session. Glogerm (TM) will be applied to PPE in a thin stripe and smoothed to evenly with gloved hands to cover arms, trunk, and gown hem. S. epidermidis will be applied using colonies diluted in solution and spread over gloves, arms, trunk, hem with a swab.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
51
Inclusion Criteria
  • Clinical Providers at VCU Medical Center, including medical degree holding trainees who are medical housestaff Adults > or =18 years of age
Read More
Exclusion Criteria

students pregnant or breastfeeding healthcare workers non-clinical providers children/teens <18 years of age open skin lesions or dermatitis presence of prosthetic materials such as prosthetic joints, heart valves

Read More

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Double Gloving ProcedureDouble Gloving ProcedureParticipants will doff PPE using a double gloving procedure after coating with Glogerm fluorescent dye +/- staphylococcus epidermidis
Intensified Hand Hygiene ProcedureIntensified Hand Hygiene ProcedureParticipants will doff PPE using an intensified hand hygiene procedure after coating with Glogerm fluorescent dye +/- staphylococcus epidermidis
One-Step ProcedureOne Step ProcedureParticipants will doff PPE using a one-step procedure after coating with Glogerm fluorescent dye +/- staphylococcus epidermidis
CDC Procedure (Control)CDC ProcedureParticipants will doff PPE following the CDC procedure after coating with Glogerm fluorescent dye +/- staphylococcus epidermidis
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Self-contamination rateAssessed immediately after each post-doffing simulation - self-contamination will be documented during the simulation appointment, immediately following doffing, by visual assessment

Measure of frequency of contamination by body site for each doffing procedure via visual assessment

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Acceptability of doffing procedure to healthcare workersAssessed immediately after each post-doffing simulation - the questionnaire will be administered before the participant leaves the simulation appointment

Aspects of acceptability such as ease, comfort, and efficacy measured by Likert Scale Staff Questionnaire (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Virginia Commonwealth University

🇺🇸

Richmond, Virginia, United States

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath