Which practice is safe when doffing PPE?

Which practice is safe when doffing PPE?

• A. Remove PPE from least contaminated to most contaminated while maintaining hygiene; perform hand hygiene after removal.
• B. Remove PPE in any order without hygiene steps.
• C. Doff PPE before decontamination; hand hygiene is optional.
• D. Remove gloves first, then leave the rest.

Answer: (A)

Safe doffing revolves around handling PPE so contaminants don’t reach your skin. Starting with the least contaminated items and moving toward the most contaminated minimizes the chance that you touch a contaminated surface with clean hands as you remove gear. After you’ve removed everything, performing hand hygiene removes any residual contaminants on your hands, preventing transfer to your face or other surfaces. This sequence plus final hand hygiene is your best protection against self-contamination during removal. Skipping hygiene, reversing the order, or leaving parts of the process out leaves you more exposed to contaminants.