Isolation Gown Use and Removal

Key Points

• Medical isolation gowns provide a broad barrier against blood and body-fluid exposure.
• Gown use is indicated for contact and droplet precautions and splash-generating care.
• Gowns must be removed before leaving the patient area, followed by hand hygiene.

Equipment

• Medical isolation gown with neck and waist ties
• Additional PPE as indicated (gloves, mask/respirator, eye/face protection)
• Waste container for used PPE in patient care area
• Hand hygiene supplies at point of doffing

Procedure Steps

1. Confirm indication for gown use based on precaution type and expected splash/fluid exposure.
2. Select an appropriate gown that covers front and back from neck to thighs.
3. Don gown and secure neck and waist closures to maintain complete barrier coverage.
4. Complete care while maintaining gown integrity and avoiding unnecessary contamination spread.
5. Remove gown before exiting the individual patient area.
6. Contain contaminated gown surfaces inward during removal and discard per policy.
7. Perform hand hygiene immediately after gown removal.
8. Reassess need for fresh PPE before entering another patient environment.

Common Errors

• Entering splash-risk care without gown → preventable body-fluid exposure.
• Incomplete gown coverage or loose ties → barrier failure risk.
• Leaving patient area before gown removal → cross-environment contamination.
• Skipping hand hygiene after doffing → continued pathogen transmission pathway.

Related

• ppe-selection-by-exposure-risk - Gown use is selected by precaution type and expected exposure.
• standard-precautions - Baseline framework that includes barrier decisions and hand hygiene.