As healthcare providers , representatives from professional organizations , and manufacturers , the committee has incorporated a vast amount of knowledge to ensure the standard reflects reallife experiences and needs of end users .” |
The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation ( AAMI ) has released an updated version of the American National Standard of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) in the healthcare environment . This standard , ANSI / AAMI PB70:2022 , Liquid barrier performance and classification of protective apparel and drapes intended for use in healthcare facilities , has been revised for the first time since the last release in 2012 . Why update now ? What has changed ? Quite frankly , a lot . As healthcare providers , representatives from professional organizations , and manufacturers , the committee has incorporated a vast amount of knowledge to ensure the standard reflects real-life experiences and needs of end users .
A main driver for the revisions centered on the limited variety of gowns that were listed in the document . The committee members wanted to expand the choices to allow for more specific personal protective equipment ( PPE ) to be selected for individual tasks and jobs . By expanding the definition of the choices of gowns , as well as updated the labeling requirements to ensure clear labeling of the type of gown you are choosing , the end user will be provided a safer environment for their work .
A new category of surgical gown was introduced , labeled “ Surgical Gown-E .” This gown specifically provides extended protection in the critical zones due to the nature of certain procedures and actions that may require a higher level of protection from potentially infectious materials .
Additional explanation of procedure gowns , such as definition protection for open-back gowns , non-protection back gowns , and decontamination gowns were also added to assist the end-user in making an informed choice on what gown to wear during specific tasks .
|
The decontamination gown for sterile processing professionals is a new category that is of particular interest to those who have ever worked in sterile processing and / or at a decontamination sink . Have you ever taken off your PPE after working several hours in the decontamination area and your scrubs underneath are wet from strike-through ? Were you wearing an appropriate gown ? One of the bigger questions is — do you know what an appropriate gown for working in the decontamination area is ? Now , with the new updates to PB70 , this is very clear . Decontamination gowns must be a minimum of an AAMI Level 3 ; how can end users use this to move forward with the new standards immediately ? Until manufacturers begin marketing new gowns with this label , end-users should check their current gowns to be sure they have gowns with this minimum level of protection for their team members .
Future plans and work items for the PB committee include developing a standard for emergency preparedness and PPE practices by gathering data and information from the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic . The group will also focus on updating the current TIR11 ( Technical Information Report ) document to assist end users with implementing the PB70 document into the daily practices .
Jill E . Holdsworth , MS , CIC , FAPIC , NREMT , CRCST , is manager of the Infection Prevention Department at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta , and is currently co-chair of the AAMI PB70 Committee .
The author acknowledges Cheron Rojo , BS , FCS , CHL , CIS , CER , CFER , CRCST , co-chair of the AAMI PB70 Committee , for editing assistance with this article .
|
A main driver for the revisions centered on the limited variety of gowns that were listed in the document . The committee members wanted to expand the choices to allow for more specific personal protective equipment ( PPE ) to be selected for individual tasks and jobs .” |