Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidelines, adaptations and lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic

Woolley, Karen L.; Smith, Rasheid; Arumugam, Senthil Vadivu

doi:10.1016/j.jemep.2020.100546

Cited by 37 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…At this early stage, personal protective equipment (PPE)-related precautions were not well known. Consequently, out of the 121 HCWs who were exposed to COVID, 43 (36%) became symptomatic [2]. Official reports in India released to the media have claimed that more than 87,000 HCWs have already been infected with the disease and more than 573 COVID-related deaths have already occurred among HCWs till September 10, 2020.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Difficulties Encountered While Using PPE Kits and How to Overcome Them: An Indian Perspective

Agarwal¹,

Agarwal²,

Motiani³

2020

Cureus

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Background After a slow start due to an effective lockdown, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in India has been raging at a rapid pace, posing a formidable challenge to the healthcare system in the country. The personal protective equipment (PPE) undoubtedly provides a shield of protection for the healthcare workers (HCWs) fighting the disease as a valuable asset to the nation. However, there have been various problems associated with the PPE, ranging from its shortage to problems arising from heat, dehydration, etc while wearing them. There is a need to assess these problems faced by HCWs both qualitatively and quantitatively for their timely and effective redressal. Methods An electronic questionnaire survey was conducted among a cohort of HCWs who had performed COVID-19 duties and used PPE kits. The cohort consisted of different categories of doctors, nursing personnel, and other paramedical staff. Results The most common problems associated with using PPE kits was excessive sweating (100%), fogging of goggles, spectacles, or face shields (88%), suffocation (83%), breathlessness (61%), fatigue (75%), headache due to prolonged use (28%), and pressure marks on the skin at one or more areas on repeated use (19%). Occasional problems reported were skin allergy/dermatitis caused by the synthetic material of the PPE kit, face shield impinging onto the neck during intubation, and nasal pain, pain at the root of the pinna, and slipperiness of shoe covers. Various ways and means have been employed by the HCWs to actively address and solve these problems. Conclusion These plausible solutions will definitely help the HCWs to deal with and solve the problems arising out of the PPE use.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Difficulties Encountered While Using PPE Kits and How to Overcome Them: An Indian Perspective

Agarwal¹,

Agarwal²,

Motiani³

2020

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In outpatient departments, healthcare professions posted for patients with respiratory symptoms should wear surgical masks, gowns, gloves, and goggles. (Woolley et al, 2020) 5. Patients in waiting rooms with respiratory symptoms should wear an N95 mask.…”

Section: Personal Protective Equipmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preventive Measures for COVID-19 Health Care Professionals

Sharma

2020

ijrps

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WHO now acknowledges the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) as a Public Health Emergency, which requires global attention. It has elevated the risk assessment of China, Regional Level and Global Level to Very High. It spreads when someone who has contracted the virus coughs out droplets of infected fluid. Most of these droplets are suspended and settle on various surfaces and objects nearby - such as desks, doors, Doorknobs, pens, tablets or phones etc. Anyone can contract COVID-19 virus by coming in direct contact with contaminated surfaces or objects – and then reaching out to their nose, eyes or mouth with those now-infected hands. If they are within a distance of one meter from an infected individual with or without symptoms, they can contract it by inspiring in the droplets coughed out or exhaled by COVID – 19 impacted individuals. To say, COVID-19 spreads the way the regular flu does. To curb and monitor the spread and contain the transmission of the disease a state control room has been established across the globe with an apparent cut insistence on the protection of Health Professionals committed towards the control of this pandemic. In the current situation of the world in this COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare professionals (HCP) are at great danger of transmission as they are in direct contact with the patients tested positive with the virus. Therefore, the processes and precautions to quickly examine sick patients with acutely presenting symptoms must be regulated in advance.

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“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] Working under the COVID-19 pandemic exposes many healthcare staff to the risk of being infected with the virus, difficult work environment, tremendous workloads, shortage of equipment such as PPE, and "moral injury", which refers to the distressing awareness that healthcare workers face when they cannot meet all the needs of their patients. 7 Many healthcare workers also experience stress from either the risk of infecting their family members by bringing the virus home or from the isolation by staying away from their families. 8,9 All of these work and health-related issues can harm workers' mental health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mental Health of Healthcare Staff Working During the COVID-19 Crisis: Their Working Hours as a Boundary Condition

Gong¹,

Zhang²,

Nawaser³

et al. 2021

JMDH

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Purpose: Healthcare staff operate at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 and hence face enormous physical and mental pressures. We aim to investigate healthcare staff's mental health issues and the associated predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this paper aims to identify some unique predictors of healthcare staff's mental health issues in Iran, the second country after China to experience a major COVID-19 crisis. Methods: An online survey of 280 healthcare staff in all 31 provinces of Iran assessed staff's mental distress (K6), depression, and anxiety (PHQ-4) during April 5-20, 2020 during the COVID-19 crisis. Results: Nearly a third of healthcare staff surpassed the cutoff for distress, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Females or more educated healthcare staff were more likely to experience distress. Those who were unsure whether they had COVID-19 were more likely to experience distress and depression symptoms. The number of COVID-19 cases among a healthcare worker's colleagues or friends positively predicted the worker's anxiety symptoms. Amongst healthcare staff, doctors were less likely than radiology technologists to experience distress and anxiety symptoms. Technicians and obstetrics staff experienced fewer anxiety symptoms. The age and the weekly working days of healthcare staff interacted such that age is asignificant predictor of mental health issues among younger but not older healthcare staff. Conclusion:The identification of the predictors of mental health issues can guide healthcare organizations to screen healthcare workers who are more likely to be mentally vulnerable in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidelines, adaptations and lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 37 publications

References 14 publications

Difficulties Encountered While Using PPE Kits and How to Overcome Them: An Indian Perspective

Difficulties Encountered While Using PPE Kits and How to Overcome Them: An Indian Perspective

Preventive Measures for COVID-19 Health Care Professionals

The Mental Health of Healthcare Staff Working During the COVID-19 Crisis: Their Working Hours as a Boundary Condition

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