Which practice is safe when doffing PPE?

Which practice is safe when doffing PPE?

• A. Remove PPE from least contaminated to most contaminated while maintaining hygiene; perform hand hygiene after removal.
• B. Remove PPE in any order without hygiene steps.
• C. Doff PPE before decontamination; hand hygiene is optional.
• D. Remove gloves first, then leave the rest.

Answer: (A)

Safe doffing hinges on moving from cleaner surfaces to dirtier ones and cleaning your hands at the end. By removing components that are least likely to be contaminated first, you keep the most contaminated outer layers for last, reducing the chance that contaminants contact your skin or inner clothing. After your PPE is off, perform hand hygiene to remove any contaminants that might have been transferred during removal. This sequence and hand hygiene are essential for preventing self-contamination and spreading hazards. The other approaches—for example taking off in any order, doing hand hygiene only if convenient, or removing outer gloves and stopping—would increase the risk of touching contaminated surfaces and should be avoided.