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The risk self-contamination during personal protective equipment removal by Jaqueline Pereira Da Silva
Pereira Da Silva, Jaqueline
Graduate Student
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Infection Prevention and Control
2018-02-14
2020 submissions
The Nursing Clinical Education Center (NCEC), Iowa City, IA
In my research, I explored the field of patient safety through a human factors lens. More specifically, I aimed at identifying risk factors and challenges healthcare workers (HCWs) are faced with when trying to comply with safety protocols during patient care. I assessed the frequency and sites of self-contamination on the skin and clothing of HCWs during personal protective equipment (PPE) removal simulations. It was clear to me that a great many problems related to worker adherence to safety standards were likely originating from not easily identifiable sources. I focused on identifying these root-cause problems and developing a model that will promote not only positive but also sustainable performance outcomes, thus contributing to worker success in providing optimal patient care. The current state of PPE design and guidelines is far from being favorable for HWCs to conduct their activities in a safe and productive manner. Healthcare providers along with their patients should be entitled to unambiguous, efficient, and effective safety measures. All efforts should be made to strengthen regulatory systems to prevent individuals from the chance of acquiring infectious pathogens, especially when considering the unforeseeable risk of outbreaks and epidemics.
My advisers Dr. Priyadarshini Pennathur and Dr. Loreen Herwaldt
healthcare contamination safety
Capture Your Research
University of Iowa. Lichtenberger Engineering Library University of Iowa. College of Engineering. NEXUS Program Virgil M. Hancher Auditorium
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 (CC BY-NC 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/
Contact Kari Kozak in the Litchenberger Engineering Library at the University of Iowa: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/eng/contact/
Risk self-contamination (Vertical).jpg
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