References

PPE used incorrectly half the time. 2015. https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/strategy/ppe-used-incorrectly-half-time (accessed 29 June 2020)

Brown L, Munro J, Rogers S. Use of personal protective equipment in nursing practice. Nurs Stand.. 2019; 34:(5)59-66 https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2019.e11260

Department of Health and Social Security. Guidance. Help the government increase coronavirus (COVID-19) testing capacity. 2020. https://tinyurl.com/qk4uvlq (accessed 29 June 2020)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Rapid risk assessment. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U/EEA and the UK—ninth update. 2020. https://tinyurl.com/y8n6an7g (accessed 29 June 2020)

Feng S, Shen C, Xia N, Song W, Fan M, Cowling BJ. Rational use of face masks in the COVID-19 pandemic. Lancet Respir Med.. 2020; https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30134-X

Gov.uk. The R number and growth rate in the UK. The latest reproduction number (R) and growth rate of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK. 2020. https://tinyurl.com/y9z3p9o8 (accessed 1 July 2020)

Gov.uk. Regulations temporarily suspended to fast-track supplies of PPE to NHS staff and protect companies hit by COVID-19 (press release). 2020b. https://tinyurl.com/sb3s7hw (accessed 29 June 2020)

Health and Safety Executive. Guidance on respiratory protective equipment (RPE) fit testing. 2019. https://tinyurl.com/yaq6efl4 (accessed 29 June 2020)

Health and Safety Executive. Research: review of personal protective equipment provided in health care settings to manage risk during the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19). 2020a. https://tinyurl.com/y8klq5wg (accessed 29 June 2020)

Health and Safety Executive. Using disposable respirators. 2020b. https://tinyurl.com/hse-disposable-resp (accessed 29 June 2020)

Heymann DL, Shindo N COVID-19: what is next for public health?. Lancet.. 2020; 395:(10224)542-545 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30374-3

Royal College of Nursing. Open letter to The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP regarding lack of PPE and COVID-19 testing for staff. 2020. https://tinyurl.com/y8d2xh7h (accessed 29 June 2020)

NHS England. Helping prevent facial skin damage beneath personal protective equipment. 2020. https://tinyurl.com/y954gbpq (accessed 29 June 2020)

Office for National Statistics. Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending. 2020. https://tinyurl.com/y9vzbkep (accessed 1 July 2020)

Rapid response. Re: Are UK doctors getting sufficient protective equipment against COVID-19. 2020. https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1297/rr-3

COVID-19: PPE guidance update. 2020. https://tinyurl.com/y8gvmaub (accessed 1 July 2020)

Public Health England. COVID-19: epidemiology, virology and clinical features. 2020a. https://tinyurl.com/w922exj (accessed 29 June 2020)

Public Health England. Guidance. Introduction and organisational preparedness. 2020b. https://tinyurl.com/ydc9nslm (accessed 29 June 2020)

Public Health England. COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE). 2020c. https://tinyurl.com/to3l2ey (accessed 29 June 2020)

Public Health England. Guide to donning and doffing standard personal protective equipment. 2020d. https://tinyurl.com/standard-dondoff (accessed 29 June 2020)

Public Health England. COVID-19: Personal Protective Equipment use for aerosol generating procedures. 2020e. https://tinyurl.com/ppe-aerosol (accessed 29 June 2020)

Public Health England. Guidance. COVID-19: infection prevention and control (IPC). 2020f. https://tinyurl.com/rdp4ab4 (accessed 29 June 2020)

Public Health England. New personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance for NHS teams (press release). 2020g. https://tinyurl.com/yx79q8jo (accessed 29 June 2020)

Resuscitation Council (UK). Updated RCUK statement on PHE PPE guidance. 2020a. https://tinyurl.com/y8e3jcua (accessed 29 June 2020)

Resuscitation Council (UK). RCUK statement on COVID-19 in relation to CPR and resuscitation in acute hospital settings. https://tinyurl.com/COVID-RCUK (accessed 29 June 2020)

Surgical masks, respirators, barrier masks: which masks actually protect against coronavirus?. 2020. https://tinyurl.com/y6utcnvt/ (accessed 29 June 2020)

UKMeds.co.uk. Face masks. 2020. https://tinyurl.com/ybkgvk6l (accessed 29 June 2020)

World Health Organization. Modes of transmission of virus causing COVID-19: implications for IPC precaution recommendations. 2020a. https://tinyurl.com/sxhgcxl (accessed 29 June 2020)

World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Situation report—161. 29 June 2020. 2020b. https://tinyurl.com/y84yxj4s (accessed 1 July 2020)

World Health Organization. Rational use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Interim guidance. 19 March 2020. 2020c. https://tinyurl.com/qvofaf5 (accessed 29 June 2020)

Use of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic

09 July 2020
At a Glance
02 July 2020
Volume 29 · Issue 13

This article provides an introduction to personal protective equipment (PPE) and looks at the latest guidelines in the context of nursing patients with COVID-19 in the UK. The current situation is such that the reader should continue to refer to contemporary guidelines because they are frequently updated as the situation evolves.

COVID-19 is an infectious respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Public Health England (PHE), 2020a). The SARS-CoV-2 virus replicates efficiently in the upper respiratory tract and appears to cause less abrupt onset of symptoms than the common cold, which means that infected individuals carry on usual activities for longer, increasing asymptomatic transmission of infection (Heymann and Shindo, 2020). The virus is primarily transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and contaminated objects; airborne transmission may be possible in specific circumstances where aerosol-generating procedures (AGP), such as suctioning, are performed (World Health Organization (WHO), 2020a).

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting British Journal of Nursing and reading some of our peer-reviewed resources for nurses. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Limited access to clinical or professional articles

  • Unlimited access to the latest news, blogs and video content

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address