Mrs. Caitlin McCashney1, Mrs. Mandy Pirrottina1, Mrs. Geraldine Burton1
1WA Country Health Service (WACHS), Geraldton, Australia
Biography:
Caitlin joined the Infection Control team in October of 2021 as a Registered Nurse seeking to upskill. Previously working as Medical Receptionist, turned Enrolled Nurse in a private practice, this provided sound grounding and exposure into the healthcare profession. She then completed her Registered Nurse conversion leading her into the Infection Prevention and Control team providing assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, Caitlin has previously been involved in quality improvement activities, consumer lead groups, education days, health promotion and outbreak management response whilst working towards being a Clinical Nurse in a rural hospital.
Abstract:
Suboptimal and non-compliance in personal protective equipment (PPE) usage was observed in both healthcare worker staff and consumers at a regional hospital. This was likely attributed to availability and access to PPE. This then impacted patient support assistant (PSA) staff workload, as clinical staff were asking PSA staff to provide PPE.
A quality improvement project was implemented to increase PPE availability, accessibility, education, and compliance. Generic, clear acrylic wall mounted PPE holders were custom designed and purchased for each inpatient room, with donning and doffing signage accompanying the holders. The generic holder design caters for the changing of PPE product brands, has low cleaning requirements, modern, and is aesthetically appealing. This in addition to a “PPE is everyone’s business” approach was implemented. PPE compliance use was then assessed via observation auditing of donning and doffing.
As a result of the increased availability of PPE in the custom-made holders, improved compliance rates of PPE usage were observed. This was also observed in consumers actively seeking and donning available PPE which was in line of sight.
The increase of PPE stations has improved compliance, based on auditing practices and staff feedback. It was noted that free standing PPE stations were more likely to be moved away from precautioned rooms, related to inpatient ward design and space limitations. Overall, a marked improvement in PPE compliance was observed in both healthcare workers and consumers. The Infection Prevention and Control team are seeking to purchase additional wall mounted PPE stations.