Which of the following is a key component of personal protective equipment?

Gloves are a critical component of personal protective equipment (PPE) because they help create a barrier between healthcare workers and potentially infectious materials, such as blood, saliva, or other bodily fluids. By wearing gloves, healthcare workers can significantly reduce the risk of transmission of infections and protect themselves as well as patients.

PPE is designed to safeguard individuals in healthcare settings and often includes other items like masks, gowns, and face shields, but gloves are fundamental due to their direct contact nature in various healthcare tasks. Other choices such as bandages, oral medication, and patient records do not provide the same protective function against infectious agents and therefore are not categorized under PPE.