Do medical students receive training in correct use of personal protective equipment?

Abstract

Background: Healthcare personnel often use incorrect technique for donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE). Objective: We tested the hypothesis that medical students receive insufficient training on correct methods for donning and doffing PPE. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical students on clinical rotations at two teaching hospitals to determine the type of training they received in PPE technique. The students performed simulations of contaminated PPE removal with fluorescent lotion on gloves and were assessed for correct PPE technique and skin and/or clothing contamination. To obtain additional information on PPE training during medical education, residents, fellows, and attending physicians completed written questionnaires on PPE training received during medical school and on knowledge of PPE protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results: Of 27 medical students surveyed, only 11 (41%) reported receiving PPE training, and none had received training requiring demonstration of proficiency. During simulations, 25 of 27 (92.5%) students had one or more lapses in technique and 12 (44%) contaminated their skin with fluorescent lotion. For 100 residents, fellows and attending physicians representing 67 different medical schools, only 53% reported receiving training in use of PPE and only 39% selected correct donning and doffing sequence. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that there is a need for development of effective strategies to train medical students in correct use of PPE. Abbreviations: PPE: Personal protective equipment; MRSA: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; SARS: Severe acute respiratory syndrome; MERS: Middle East respiratory syndrome; WHO: World Health Organization; CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; OSCE: Objective structured clinical examination

Fatigue among health care workers during emergency interventions using biological personal protective equipment: an observational simulation study

“…The first one is the potential bias in the volunteer's selection which was based solely on the opportunity criteria. All the subjects were recruited in the Public Health System or in the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Valladolid, in line with similar studies [39,40]. Second, although the sample size allows for preliminary results and for an internal validation, it is small enough for carrying out an external validation of the model, which would require a multicenter study to determine the physiological impact on workers wearing PPE under biological risks.…”

Medical interns’ reflections on their training in use of personal protective equipment.

“…Many doctors feel that they have inadequate knowledge and practical skills, in IPC, generally, and PPE use, speci cally (8), suggesting an unmet need for teaching undergraduates about its importance (9). Mann and Wood found that around 50% of medical students thought their course should have had a greater emphasis on IPC (10), while John et al reported that 92.5% of medical students made procedural errors when removing PPE during training (11). In another study, Saudi Arabian medical students scored poorly on survey questions relating to PPE knowledge (average scores 3.8±1.9 out of 9 points) (12).…”

Are Australian medical interns adequately prepared for the optimal use of personal protective equipment?

“…Many doctors feel that they have inadequate knowledge and practical skills, in IPC, generally, and PPE use, speci cally (7), suggesting an unmet need for teaching undergraduates about its importance (8). Mann and Wood found that around 50% of medical students thought their course should have had a greater emphasis on IPC(9), while John et al reported that 92.5% of medical students made procedural errors when removing PPE during training (10). In another study, Saudi Arabian medical students scored poorly on survey questions relating to PPE knowledge (average scores 3.8 ± 1.9 out of 9 points) (11).…”

“…Practical PPE skills are not always formally assessed at undergraduate level (10) and are often learnt via role modelling during clinical placements. The hidden curriculum therefore plays an important role in the clinical learning environment (13).…”