Final answer:
A nurse aide must take the gown off before leaving an isolated client's room to prevent spreading the infection to other areas or patients.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a nurse aide needs to wear a gown to care for a client in isolation, the nurse aide MUST take the gown off before leaving the client's room. This practice is vital to prevent the spread of infection and ensure that potentially contaminated gowns do not contact other areas or patients. Once the gown is used to care for the isolated patient, it is considered contaminated and should not be worn to care for other patients or carried outside of the isolation room.
Proper personal Protective Equipment (PPE) practices dictate that all protective gear, including gowns, should be dispensed with in a manner that minimizes the risk of infection spread. The recommended protocol includes removing the gown in a way that the outer surface is handled as little as possible and disposed of in an appropriate container within the isolation room or area specifically designated for contaminated PPE.
Additionally, the nurse aide should practice stringent hand hygiene immediately after removing the gown to further reduce the risk of transmitting any infectious agents. Proper hand hygiene includes washing hands with water and soap or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if hands are not visibly soiled.