The Need For Proper Protective Gear In The Healthcare Industry
Healthcare workers are constantly exposed to individuals who are suffering from diseases, chronic illnesses, or infections. Not wearing proper personal protection equipment can put not only their lives at risk but also the lives of their family members or the health of the patients can be hampered.
Hence, it is always advised to healthcare employees to follow proper guidelines of protection, frequently dispose of them after one use and wash the exposed areas of their body repeatedly. It is the duty of all healthcare employees to eliminate any chances of cross-contamination or infection by wearing and frequently changing their protection gears.
Gloves and masks are the common gears that can be seen worn by all healthcare workers. Some workers like surgeons and nurses also wear head caps, while dental surgeons maintain protection guidelines by wearing dental gloves, masks, and other equipment.
Why Is It Important For Healthcare Workers To Have Proper Protection
Gloves or masks may seem like a thin layer of a fiber-like or rubber-like material, but play a huge role in maintaining safe health. Below are some reasons why it is extremely important in the healthcare industry to wear proper protection at all times.
- Prevents spread of any contagious disease – Every day hundreds of patients get admitted to a hospital or nursing home, and all of them have their individual health problems, some are contagious in nature. Contagious diseases are tough to deal with because they not only hamper the health of the one who is affected but also hold the ability to affect other individuals in a small matter of time because they spread quickly. In situations like these, it is extremely important for healthcare employees to use proper protection in order to cut the chain of the spread. This results in keeping the other patients in the same healthcare facility and also helps in keeping the families of the healthcare workers or the healthcare workers unaffected by the spread.
- Helps in maintaining a clean workspace – Health is one of the main aspects of an individual’s life, if it is not maintained well then the other sections of a human life won’t be able to function and will result in ultimately break the whole structure of life. Wearing proper protection will help a healthcare employee from causing any cross-contamination between other patients or other workers. Gloves or masks will help a healthcare employee by creating a shield and help in keeping a clean workspace. A clean workspace always does not mean a space devoid of any clutter, in the case of the healthcare industry, a clean workspace means a workspace devoid of any health risks.
- Promotes practice of using protection in patients – A patient passively gets motivated to wear any kind of protective gear when they enter a hospital or nursing home and see that the workers are maintaining a proper code of protection. The seriousness of wearing protective gear is not as much in patients as there is in healthcare workers, but it is still very important for them. Every day individuals come around someone on the road or at their workplace who is suffering from some illness, which raises their chances of getting infected as well. Thus it is extremely important for non-healthcare workers to wear proper protective gear on a daily basis.
Additionally, in recent years the rate of pollution has subsequently gone higher which has put the lives of individuals at great risk. Pollution has given rise to many health problems like breathing issues, stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Masks act like a shield against getting affected by pollution and the diseases caused by it. N95 masks or GVS Elipse p100 dust masks are great for individuals to wear on the road or in a certain workplace.
The Types Of Protection Related To This Field
There are many types of protective gear designed to make the lives of healthcare employees, some of them are listed below.
- GVS Elipse p100 masks – These masks have a compact, lightweight, and flexible design that can perfectly fit the face of an individual while offering a full range of vision without any interference with the other eye or ear protections that an individual chooses to wear. GVS Elipse p100 is perfect for day-to-day applications in the healthcare industry and provides the best protection and comfort. It is cost-effective as it is reusable with the replacement of filters available when required.
- Surgical masks – A surgical mask is personal protective equipment or PPE which is used by healthcare workers in order to serve as a barrier that interferes with any involvement of infections from any foreign body.
- Dental gloves – Though it is quite clear from the name, dental gloves are used by workers and professionals who specialize in dental health and treatment. These are made of synthetic rubber and are a perfect alternative to latex gloves. These gloves are puncture-resistant and can be worn for long hours to efficiently deal with high-risk procedures.
Final Thoughts
All healthcare workers should use proper protective gear in order to decrease the chances of cross-contamination or infection. Protective gear like gloves and masks not only helps in keeping the workers and the patients safe but also keeps the families of the workers out of possible health risks. There are many protective gears designed to fulfill the protection needs of healthcare employees.
Photo by Ivan Samkov