Substandard PPE Found In Study Of Hospital Settings

As hospitals scramble across the country and across the globe to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep their employees safe, a recent study has found that an alarming number of these pieces of equipment are wholly unsatisfactory at keeping the workers and patients safe from viruses, bloodborne, and other pathogens.

The study conducted by Pennsylvania based ECRI found some alarming results when they tested both disposable isolation gowns and Chinese made N95 protective masks.  It is this equipment that hospitals rely on to keep their staff and their patients safe.  Insufficient equipment that puts patients at risk may lead to Connecticut medical malpractice.

The findings of the study included:

• 52% of gowns that were tested did not even meet the minimum requirement set by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)
• 50% of all gowns which claimed to meet the AAMI standards did not meet the standard for liquid barrier performance
• A staggering 70% of all Chinese made N95 masks did not meet U.S. standards when tested in September

The reported results made it clear that if hospitals needed to rely on these substandard pieces of PPE that they should only be used in certain situations such as low-risk patient encounters, first undergo testing for liquid impact and hydrostatic penetration.In a time of a crisis it may not be a possibility to concern oneself with which PPE to grab to ensure patient safety and that is why it is critical that hospitals provide medical providers with fully tested and secure PPE at all times, keeping them safe and avoiding a possible Connecticut medical malpractice incident.