What is PPE?
Since the beginning of this pandemic, the letters PPE have become part of our daily lexicon. It has been established that PPE is a valuable commodity today, but not everyone knows why. PPE is an acronym for Personal Protective Equipment. There are many different types of PPE depending on the purpose that the PPE is supposed to serve for the individual wearing it. In this post, we will be focusing on PPE for medical purposes. PPE in medical settings essentially creates a barrier between the person wearing the PPE and potential environmental hazards that increase the risk of exposure to infectious disease. PPE includes gloves, gowns, surgical masks, face shields, goggles, respirators, and many other items. PPE that is used for medical purposes are called medical devices and need to be approved by Health Canada to be sold and distributed. Companies providing medical PPE to the public such as Penguin Health have had their products tested and meet Health Canada and FDa standards to ensure the quality and standards of the product.
Why is PPE important?
PPE keeps healthcare workers on our frontlines safe and reduces the spread of virus and bacteria. Many frontline healthcare workers are unable to keep a safe distance from patients when working with them. PPE allows these workers to maintain their own and their patients’ safety, without compromising on the care that is being provided. The PPE creates a barrier between an individual’s mouth, nose, eyes, skin, and a virus or bacteria. The barrier prevents any contaminants in blood, respiratory secretions and other body fluids from coming into contact with individuals, therefore protecting both the person wearing PPE and others around them, especially those who have a higher risk of contracting infections.
How effective is PPE in protecting health care workers from viruses and bacteria?
In medical settings, spread through aerosol droplets or contaminated surfaces. Therefore, PPE that create a strong liquid barrier are needed to protect individuals in these settings. Different medical procedures also require different levels of PPE protection. For instance aerosol generating procedures may contaminate the air with droplets containing the virus, making it crucial that a stronger, higher-level fluid-resistant PPE is being used in that environment. Penguin Health has been locally manufacturing reusable medical isolation gowns of superior quality in Ontario, CA, that have been tested to meet standards for optimal protection from contaminants.
The effectiveness of PPE is dependant on the medical procedure and the level of protection standard provided by the PPE. PPE that create a liquid barrier are effective in protecting healthcare workers during procedures where they may come in to contact with contaminated aerosol droplets, or other bodily fluids. Certain PPE such as N95 respirators provide more effective protection from exposure to smaller contaminated aerosol droplets than surgical masks. It is important to be aware of the different levels of protection provided by various PPE. Penguin health. manufactures and retails various medical PPE of different levels of protection that are Health Canada and FDA standards. To order your Level 3 ASTM masks and Isolation gowns call or order online from Penguin health. www.penguinhealth.co