Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 42, Issue 3 , Pages 370-380, September 2003

Protective equipment for health care facility decontamination personnel:☆

Regulations, risks, and recommendations

  • John L Hick, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Minnesota, and Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for correspondence: John L. Hick, MD, Emergency Medicine, MC 825, Hennepin County Medical Center, 701 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55415; 612-347-3020, fax 612-904-4241
    • ,
  • Dan Hanfling, MD

      Affiliations

    • Emergency Management and Disaster Medicine, Inova Health System, Falls Church, VA, and the Department of Emergency Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
    • ,
  • Jonathan L Burstein, MD

      Affiliations

    • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
    • ,
  • Joseph Markham, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Joseph Hospital Health Center, and the Department of Emergency Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
    • ,
  • Anthony G Macintyre, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
    • ,
  • Joseph A Barbera, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Engineering Management (Crisis & Emergency Management) and The Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

Received 13 January 2003; received in revised form 2 March 2003; accepted 28 April 2003.

Abstract 

After recent terrorist attacks, new attention has been focused on health care facility decontamination practices. This article reviews core issues related to the selection of appropriate personal protective equipment for health care facility decontamination personnel, with an emphasis on respiratory protection. Existing federal regulations focus primarily on scene response and not on issues specific to health care facility decontamination practices. Review of existing databases, relevant published literature, and individual case reports reveal some provider health risks, especially when the exposure involves organophosphate agents. However, reported risks from secondary exposure to contaminated patients at health care facilities are low. These risks should be adequately addressed with Level C personal protective equipment, including air-purifying respirator technologies, unless the facility determines that specific local threats require increased levels of protection.

 

☆ The authors report this study did not receive any outside funding or support.Reprints not available from the authors.

PII: S0196-0644(03)00447-5

doi:10.1016/S0196-0644(03)00447-5

Refers to article:

  • Establishing and training health care facility decontamination teams

    John L Hick, Paul Penn, Dan Hanfling, Mark A Lappe, Dan O'Laughlin, Jonathan L Burstein
    Annals of Emergency Medicine September 2003 (Vol. 42, Issue 3, Pages 381-390)

  • Strip and shower: The duck and cover for the 21st century

    Kristi L Koenig
    Annals of Emergency Medicine September 2003 (Vol. 42, Issue 3, Pages 391-394)

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 42, Issue 3 , Pages 370-380, September 2003

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