The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a new webpage that provides a quick reference table summarizing the strategies to optimize personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies in health care settings. The quick reference table provides links to the CDC’s full guidance documents on optimizing PPE, which offer a continuum of options using the framework of surge capacity when PPE supplies are stressed, running low or absent.
Regarding PPE usage the CDC recommends that health care facilities:
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Consider their recommended options and implement them sequentially.
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Understand the organization’s current PPE inventory, supply chain, and utilization rate.
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Train health care personnel on PPE use and have them demonstrate competency with donning and doffing any PPE ensemble that is used to perform job responsibilities.
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As PPE availability returns to normal, promptly resume standard practices.
The webpage provides recommendations for a variety of PPE such as N95 respirators, face masks, gowns, eye protection and gloves during conventional capacity, contingency capacity or crisis capacity status. These recommendations can be accessed at the CDC’s PPE Strategy webpage.
