The reuse of N95 respirators and other single-use PPE is unsafe, according to the lead hygienist of National Nurses United. The union is heartened by President Joe Biden’s promise to use the Defense Production Act to increase respirator supply, believing it to be a better solution to ongoing supply shortages than authorizing repeated decontamination.
One in five eldercare facilities will run out of masks, gowns and other PPE if current supplies aren’t carefully conserved, says AHCA / NCAL.
Certified nurse assistants who practice frequent glove use may be the key to hampering the spread of dangerous pathogens, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
An observational study in a LTC facility examined the degree of inappropriate glove use among certified nursing assistants (CNA) when helping residents with bathing or toileting activities.
Caregivers who wear gloves can likely save time and skip hand washing before putting them on without worrying about increasing nosocomial infection rates.
