What personal protective equipment should be worn by healthcare personnel?
Standard precautions should be followed for all patient care. For any activity that might generate splashes of respiratory secretions, gowns along with eye protection should be worn. Healthcare workers who are in close contact with patients suspected or confirmed to have 2009 H1N1 influenza should wear a fit-tested, disposable N95 respirator. Q. What constitutes high-risk (aerosol-generating) activities? Some procedures may be higher-risk for potential exposure, such as aerosol generating procedures, that could increase inhalation of respiratory droplets. These procedures include: bronchoscopy, sputum induction, endotracheal, intubation, open suctioning of airways, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and autopsies. Q. How can healthcare personnel reduce their exposure risk when performing aerosol-generating procedures? To reduce exposure risk, healthcare personnel should only perform these procedures on patients with suspected or confirmed influenza when medically necessary and limit the nu
