Long-term Retention Following Best Practices Instruction for Proper Donning and Doffing of Personal Protective Equipment

American Journal of Infection Control (01/14/26) Vasilopoulos, Terrie; Smith, Cameron R.; Frantz, Amanda M.; et al.

Skills related to proper doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) decline significantly within seven months of training, new research shows. This highlights the need for ongoing education, rather than one-time instruction. In a study of 23 anesthesiology residents, researchers evaluated long-term retention of PPE use after face-to-face and video training. The study authors found that while donning performance from post-training to long-term retention remained relatively stable, doffing compliance dropped by more than 20% and contamination rates of multiple sites trended upward. The results suggest that identifying weak points during initial instruction and conducting periodic reassessments could help guide refresher training and better preserve both donning and doffing proficiency, which is essential for preventing contamination during high-risk infectious outbreaks.

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