Personal protective equipment

When working in the ultrasound department it is important to ensure that staff and patients are protected from cross-infection, from both particles and droplets.  

It is important to carry out a risk assessment before undertaking any examinations. 

This will help to:

  1. Identify risks to staff
  2. Identify risks to patients
  3. Determine how to manage an ultrasound list
  4. Prepare the room and environment for the session
  5. Consider what level of protection is required during the examination. This might depend on 
  • If the procedure is an aerosol generating procedure or not
  • Whether patients are symptomatic / covid-19 positive or asymptomatic

      6. Determine the decontamination processes needed


The following are links to PPE guidance, which might help plan the most appropriate PPE for each clinical situation:

Australian Government Department of Health (2020) Guidance on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak. Available at: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/guidance-on-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe-in-hospitals-during-the-covid-19-outbreak

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Personal protective equipment (PPE). Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/using-ppe.html

Public Health England (2020) COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE). Available at: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe


Posters:

CDC (2020) Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) When Caring for Patients with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 Before caring for patients with confirmed. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/A_FS_HCP_COVID19_PPE_11x17.pdf

Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) and Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR) (2020) Personal protective equipment advice for imaging departments and teams. Available at: https://www.rcr.ac.uk/sites/default/files/radiology_ppe_poster_a3.pdf

WHO (2020) How to put on and take off personal protective equipment. Available at: https://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/putontakeoffPPE/en/


Videos: 

Safe use of personal protective equipment. Available at: https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/safe-use-dvd