Short answer: World Health Organization infection control guidance lists disposable shoe covers as part of personal protective equipment (PPE) to be worn where blood, bodily fluids, secretions, or excretions may splash, spill, or leak onto shoes. The guidance says they should not be reused and should be discarded according to facility protocol.
Why do healthcare settings use shoe covers?
Disposable shoe covers serve a variety of purposes in hospitals, medical offices, laboratories, surgical settings, and emergency response. They protect the wearer from hazards generated by other people, objects, or the environment. They also protect others nearby and help keep substances on the wearer's shoes from contaminating the room.
What does the WHO say about PPE?
The World Health Organization states that personal protective equipment provides a physical barrier between micro-organisms and the wearer. It helps prevent microorganisms from contaminating hands, eyes, clothing, hair, and shoes, and helps prevent their transmission to other patients and staff.
In the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office publication Practical Guidelines for Infection Control in Health Care Facilities, disposable shoe covers are to be worn where there is a likelihood that a patient's blood, bodily fluids, secretions, or excretions may splash, spill, or leak onto the hair or shoes. They should not be reused.
What research says about floors and shoe soles
A 2020 study in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases sampled air and surfaces in two hospital wards in Wuhan, China. In the intensive care unit, 7 of 10 floor samples (70%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 genetic material, compared with 2 of 13 (15.4%) in the general ward, and half of the samples from ICU staff shoe soles tested positive. The pharmacy floor, where there were no patients, also tested positive, which suggests foot traffic carried it there.
The authors recommended disinfecting shoe soles before leaving affected wards. They noted that their tests detect genetic material and do not show how much of the virus was viable. Source: Guo Z, Wang Z, Zhang S, et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020;26(7):1583-1591. Read the full study on CDC.gov.
Key takeaways
- Shoe covers are one part of PPE, alongside gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection.
- They are intended for situations with a risk of splashes or spills.
- Floors and shoe soles can carry contaminants between areas, which is why some facilities ask for covers at the door.
- Single-use covers should be discarded after use according to your facility's protocol.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Always follow your facility's infection control policy.
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