2.41 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
What is the purpose of this protocol?
To provide guidelines for the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
In what areas are plain paper signs or banners prohibited?
Hallways, Elevators, Parking Decks, Walkways, and the Exterior of Buildings.
When called to an assignment, Public Safety Officers are to acknowledge by stating what?
Their call number and current location.
What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?
It is a federal civil rights law that protects persons with disabilities from discrimination in the areas of employment, public services, services operated by private entities, and telecommunications.
What is the purpose of this protocol?
To provide Public Safety Officers operational guidance in interactions with patients/perspective patients regarding medical treatment.
Public Safety Officers will wear appropriate PPE in situations that require what three events?
Physical contact with a patient/individual, Exposure to contaminated spills or leaks, and HazMat conditions.
What policy/code prohibits the use of plain paper signs and decorations that might pose a fire risk as an ignition or fuel source in elevators and hallways?
The NC Fire Code and Medical Center Policy
What is the “Alert Tone”?
It is an audible, high frequency sound activated by ECC and broadcast on all channels.
What are examples of service animals?
Guide dogs, hearing or signal dogs, seizure alert cats, mobility dogs, and emotional support cats.
What does EMTALA stand for?
Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.
When may PPE be required? There are 9.
Assisting staff with a patient, When there is a risk of exposure to bodily fluids, Assisting staff with a combative patient, Prior to entering an isolation patient room, Responses to the Helipad, Response to a mercury spill, Response to Chemical/Biological/Nuclear/Contaminated spill or leak, Entering a construction area, and When responding to medical emergencies.
Signs and banners used for marketing, directional assistance, or other displays must be pre-approved by who?
Communications, Marketing, and Media (CM&M)
An Alert Tone will be broadcasted in what events?
Emergency conditions such as an active threat on campus, severe weather warnings, or other conditions that pose an immediate physical threat to the campus, Dispatch of appropriate emergency events (BOLO), Officer needs assistance, Code 44, To obtain response for units not responding to radio transmissions.
What areas service animals may be restricted?
Invasive procedure areas where sterility is required, including but not limited to the operating rooms, recovery rooms, cardiac catheterization laboratories, and the endoscopy suites, Isolation rooms, Burn units, Patient care areas where the patient population is immunologically compromised, Food and medication preparation areas where appropriate hygiene is required, Where necessary medical equipment causes an obstructive pathway for the patient, visitor, or animal (a visitation site may be established away from the bedside in an area such as a lounge), and Other areas as deemed appropriate by medical personnel.
True or False? Any person seeking medical treatment will not be denied access to the Emergency Department.
True.
In what areas can PPE be found? There are 8.
Nursing Units, Par Stock Rooms, Patient Care Areas, Exam Rooms, Code 44 Stretcher, Helipad Vestibule Area, HazMat Carts, and Security Admin/Office.
What should Public Safety Officers do if plain paper signs and banners are observed in public hallways and elevators?
They are to remove and discard it.
SPOT Badge and Panic Alarms will be dispatched as Priority 1 with no more than how many Public Safety Officers responding?
Three (3) Public Safety Officers.
What should Public Safety Officers do in the event of a medical emergency occurring during the inpatient stay and the patient and/or designee is no longer able to provide care for the animal or has no one to help with the duties?
Public Safety Officers should contact a local veterinarian for boarding and care of the animal, and complete report in ECOMM.
What is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)?
It is a federal statute which governs when and how a patient may be: (1) refused treatment, or (2) transferred from one hospital to another when in unstable medical conditions.
Public Safety Officers subject to the use of PPE will complete annual training on what? There are 5.
When PPE is necessary, What PPE is necessary, How to properly don, doff, adjust, and wear PPE, Limitations of PPE, and Proper care, maintenance, useful of life and disposal of PPE.
How are approved plain paper signs or banners supposed to be properly displayed?
Approved signs and banners must be laminated or otherwise fire retardant and/or behind a glass or enclosed in an approved bulletin board case that must remain closed for compliance.
What are the Priority Code Classifications?
Priority 1 – Emergency
All calls with a significant threat of imminent injury to persons, and calls that involve activity against person(s) and/or criminal activity that is in progress or has just occurred with probability that the involved suspect is still there. Extenuating circumstances may change the classification of these calls.
Priority 2 – Urgent
All calls that are urgent but do not pose an imminent danger of injury but may present a potential threat to property or cause an interruption to Medical Center operations. Extenuating circumstances may change the classification of these calls.
Priority 3 – Non-Urgent
Calls which do not present a potential threat to property or persons nor cause operational disruption to the Medical Center. Typically, these requests could be handled based on availability of personnel without disruption to operations or unreasonable “wait time” by the requesting party.
What question can Public Safety Officers ask the handler to identify the service animal?
”Is this a service animal?”.
In essence, the statute imposes what three things?
- An obligation on the part of the hospital to provide a medical screening examination to determine whether an "emergency medical condition" exists
- Restrictions on transfers of persons who exhibit an "emergency medical condition" or are in “active labor”
- A duty to institute treatment if an "emergency medical condition" does exist.