Gowns and Gloves
Guidance to the level of PPE depends on prevalence of COVID-19 in the
community, the degree of community spread, availability, timeliness and
accuracy of COVID-19 testing, and availability of PPE.(29)
A recent Cochrane review has found gown to be more protective than
aprons against contamination (MD -1.36, 95% CI -1.78 - -0.94). Double
gloving leads to less contamination compared to single gloving (RR 0.36,
95% CI 0.16 – 0.78).(65) Alcohol-based hand rub during doffing may not
lead to less contamination than the use of a hypochlorite base solution
(MD 4, 95% CI 0.47 – 34.24).(65) This has led to the recommendation of
an assistant who guides the HCW through the process while watching for
breaches and spraying chlorine as each item is removed during
doffing.(65)