Donning (putting on) PPE
Prior to contact with patients, EMTs should don their PPE in the proper order starting with the gown.
Before putting on PPE, make sure to wash your hands using soap and water (or sanitizer when soap and water are not available).
Put on a liquid proof, fully covering gown.
Put on your N95 mask, fitting it to your face. Inhale and exhale to ensure no leakage.
Put on your goggles or face shield.
Lastly, put on your gloves, making sure you use the correct size that extends to cover the wrist of your gown.
- Glasses - If you have glasses: take them off, put on the mask, then put glasses back on, then put on goggles over your glasses.
- Hair - If you have long hair, pull it back and cover your hair if possible.
- Beards - Men should shave beards to improve fit of N-95 masks, but note that shaving the day of exposure can increase your chance of infection through tiny cuts in the skin. Make sure to shave the day before.
- Footwear - Wear rubber boots or shoes that can be dipped in a chlorine bath afterwards during decontamination.
Doffing (taking off) PPE
Once the patient is received by the facility, or after decontaminating the ambulance, remove PPE in the following order. Be sure not the remove PPE and enter an ambulance that had just carried the patient without decontaminating it while wearing fresh PPE.
Remove your disposable gloves and dispose of them in a proper and safe way. Use a clearly-marked biohazard bag. Wash your hands after removing your gloves.
Remove and dispose of your disposable gown. Wash your hands after removing the gown.
Remove your goggles or face shield, being careful not to touch the outside of them as much as possible, and placing them safely in the designated location for decontamination and re-use. Alternatively, conduct decontamination and sanitizing of the goggles/face-mask. Wash your hands thoroughly after you are finished.
Remove your N95 mask, being careful not to touch your face and to avoid as much contact with the outside of the mask as possible. Wash your hands after removing the mask.
Lastly, put on your gloves, making sure you use the correct size that extends to cover the wrist of your gown.
- Wash your hands between every step - As you are touching the contaminated protective equipment during each step of the removing (doffing) process, you must wash your hands after every step. This will prevent further risk of moving contamination to different surfaces with your hands and provides the best chance of removing all pathogens in the doffing process.
- Wash your hands again if they come into contact with contaminants - At any point during the PPE removal procedure, if your hands come into contact with any contaminated surfaces or otherwise become soiled, stop and perform hand hygiene procedures, then continue.
- When to disinfect or remove PPE - Disinfecting and removal of PPE should be done at the facility immediately after dropping the patient, and all doors and windows should be left open for 30 minutes after decontamination.
- Decontamination of ambulance and equipment - Alongside proper PPE removal, any medical equipment used (like BP machine, suction machine, SPO2 probes) all need decontamination with 0.5% bleach disinfectant, as does the ambulance that carried the patient. Follow our ambulance decontamination guide for the complete list of steps to disinfecting your ambulance after patient dropoff.