When delegating care that requires nursing assistive personnel to use PPE, what should the nurse do first?

When delegating care that involves nursing assistive personnel (NAP) using personal protective equipment (PPE), the first step is to review the patient's need for specific isolation precautions. This is crucial because the use of PPE is contingent upon the type of isolation precautions that are in place for a patient. Each precaution category—such as contact, droplet, or airborne—has specific requirements for PPE to ensure both the safety of the healthcare personnel and the prevention of infection transmission.

Understanding the patient's isolation needs helps to ensure that the NAP is equipped with the correct PPE to protect themselves and others in the healthcare environment. Additionally, this step reinforces the importance of adhering to infection control protocols, which is vital for patient safety and hygiene practices.

By addressing the need for specific isolation precautions first, the nurse sets a clear foundation for safe care practice before proceeding to the details of delegation, such as discussing equipment, observing PPE donning, or documenting the delegation.