Use of PPE for safe first assessment of PUI of EVD in EU-EEA
This tutorial aims to improve the protection of staff dealing with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in non-specialised centres. It focuses on the use of various personal protective equipment components appropriate in the first assessment of possible EVD cases, particularly in healthcare facilities with a European standard of care but not designated for treatment of EVD patients. The main target audience are healthcare professionals working in non-specialised settings in the EU/EEA, in particular those responsible for first assessment in non-specialised healthcare settings.
Executive Summary
A new document has been published on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when first assessing [Link ] someone with potential exposure to Ebola virus. This new tutorial aims to guide healthcare staff in non-specialised settings in the use of PPE for first assessment of persons with potential risk of Ebola virus disease (EVD) infection or being under investigation for EVD. First assessment starts as soon as a healthcare worker thinks that he/she might be dealing with a potential EVD patient and as a consequence undertakes a clinical or risk factor assessment (triage) in order to identify the risk of transmission. This needs to be performed under safety measures explained in this tutorial, including the use of appropriate PPE and distancing measures. The focus of this tutorial is the use of various PPE components appropriate in the first assessment of possible EVD cases, particularly in healthcare facilities with a European standard of care but not designated for treatment of EVD patients. This document is a complement to the more extensive ECDC tutorial Safe use of personal protective equipment in the treatment of infectious diseases of high consequence, which provided practical information on the proper use of PPE while providing medical care and treatment.