CDC issues stronger standards for Ebola healthcare workers

Updated protocols include personal protective equipment that covers the entire body and leaves no skin exposed


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued more robust standards for workers treating Ebola and other deadly infectious diseases, according to an article on the Modern Healthcare website.

CDC officials acknowledged that previous recommendations did not work in the case of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where two nurses were infected while treating Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan.

The updated protocols include personal protective equipment that covers the entire body and leaves no skin exposed.

Other recommendations include:

• Wearing two sets of gloves

• Wearing boot covers that are waterproof and go to at least mid-calf or cover the legs

• Single-use fluid resistant or impermeable gown that extends to at least mid-calf or coverall without intergraded hood

• Using respirators, including either N95 respirator masks or powered-air purifying respirator (PAPR)

• Single-use, full-face shield that is disposable

• Surgical hoods to ensure complete coverage of the head and neck

• An apron that is waterproof and covers the torso to the level of the mid-calf should be used if Ebola patients have vomiting or diarrhea

Read the article.

 

 



October 22, 2014


Topic Area: Safety


Recent Posts

Building Around Care: Lessons in Modernizing Active Healthcare Environments

The challenge is how to modernize a healthcare facility while patients continue receiving care and physicians, nurses and staff continue providing it.


St. Luke's Heart Hospital Opens at Anderson Campus in Pennsylvania

The five-story, approximately 355,000-square-foot facility is seamlessly integrated into St. Luke's Anderson Campus.


WindRose Health Network Ensnared in Vendor Data Breach

The incident involved a previously undisclosed vulnerability in a remote-management tool that is used by one of its vendors.


How Efficiency Checklists Help Hospitals Save Energy, Water and Money

Keith Edgerton explains how a simple, systematic tool can help healthcare facilities identify savings, support sustainability goals and reinvest in long-term decarbonization.


Intermountain Healthcare Receives $50M Gift for Standalone Children's Hospital

To honor the family's gift, Intermountain Health will name the inpatient tower the Larry & Heidi Canarelli Inpatient Tower.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.