Utilizing Human Factors Engineering in the Design of a Storage Cart for Personal Protective Equipment

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. S83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karissa Singleton ◽  
Amy M. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Human Factors Engineering

scholarly journals Self-Contamination While Doffing Personal Protective Equipment

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s385-s386
Author(s):  
Jaqueline Pereira da Silva ◽  
Priyadarshini Pennathur ◽  
Hugh Salehi ◽  
Emily Chasco ◽  
Jure Baloh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Human Factors Engineering ◽  
Academic Hospital ◽  
Training Video ◽  
Exposed Skin ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Trained Staff

Background: Personal protective equipment (PPE) effectiveness can be undermined by inappropriate doffing methods. Objective: We used human factors engineering methods to evaluate self-contamination during PPE doffing. Methods: In this study, 30 participants at a Midwestern academic hospital (A) donned and doffed 3 mask styles (n = 10), 2 gown styles (n = 10), and 2 glove styles (n = 10; the Doffy glove has a tab to facilitate doffing). Also, 30 additional participants at hospital A (residents or fellows, nurses, special isolation trained staff [SITS]) and 10 SITS at academic hospital B doffed a surgical mask, a breakaway neck gown, and exam gloves (PPE ensemble) twice: once while distracted with conversation and once when not distracted. We randomized the order in which participants used different PPE styles or they did the doffing scenario. We collected demographic data. We applied Glo Germ Mist (1.5 dilution in water) with a mucosal atomizer to participants’ PPE before they doffed. We video-recorded participants as they doffed, and we photographed their scrubs and exposed skin before and after each donning and doffing episode. We reviewed videos for doffing errors and photographs for fluorescent spots. We counted fluorescent spots and noted their locations. Results: Overall, 45 (64.3%) participants were women, 31 (44.3%) were nurses, 24 (34.3%) were physicians. Among the participants, 25 (35.7%) had >15 years of experience and 61 (87.1%) had some training in doffing. Participants frequently contaminated their skin or clothing while doffing (Table 1). For all scenarios, hands followed by the torso were contaminated most frequently. Analysis of the videos found that touching the gown front with bare hands was the most common doffing error. Fewer participants self-contaminated when using the Doffy glove without training than when using the standard exam glove. Although most participants in the glove trial indicated that they did not need to watch the Doffy glove training video again, most had difficulty doffing the Doffy glove with the beak method. Many participants stopped doffing to answer questions when they doffed the PPE ensemble during the interruption scenario. Conclusions: Self-contamination was very common with all PPE styles and during all scenarios. Distraction did not increase the risk of contamination. However, participants often stopped doffing to answer questions, which they rarely do in practice. Watching a video was inadequate training for the beak glove-doffing method. The Doffy glove, which decreased contamination compared with the standard glove in the untrained scenario, may have advantages over standard exam gloves and should be evaluated further.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

Examining health care personal protective equipment use through a human factors engineering and product design lens

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 595-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamed Salehi ◽  
Priyadarshini R. Pennathur ◽  
Jaqueline Pereira Da Silva ◽  
Loreen A. Herwaldt
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Human Factors Engineering

Personal Protective Equipment for Infectious Disease Preparedness: A Human Factors Evaluation

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1022-1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracey A. Herlihey ◽  
Stefano Gelmi ◽  
Christopher J. Flewwelling ◽  
Trevor N. T. Hall ◽  
Carleene Bañez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Instructional Material ◽  
Complete System ◽  
Complete Solution ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
Pediatric Hospital ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach

OBJECTIVETo identify issues during donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) for infectious diseases and to inform PPE procurement criteria and design.DESIGNA mixed methods approach was used. Usability testing assessed the appropriateness, potential for errors, and ease of use of various combinations of PPE. A qualitative constructivist approach was used to analyze participant feedback.SETTINGFour academic health sciences centers: 2 adult hospitals, 1 trauma center, and 1 pediatric hospital, in Toronto, Canada.PARTICIPANTSParticipants (n=82) were representative of the potential users of PPE within Western healthcare institutions.RESULTSNone of the tested combinations provided a complete solution for PPE. Environmental factors, such as anteroom layout, and the design of protocols and instructional material were also found to impact safety. The study identified the need to design PPE as a complete system, rather than mixing and matching components.CONCLUSIONSHealthcare institutions are encouraged to use human factors methods to identify risk and failure points with the usage of their selected PPE, and to modify on the basis of iterative evaluations with representative end users. Manufacturers of PPE should consider usability when designing the next generation of PPE.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2016;37:1022–1028

scholarly journals The effects of COVID-19 on training within urology: Lessons learned in virtual learning, human factors, non-technical skills and reflective practice

2020 ◽  
pp. 205141582095010
Author(s):  
T Fonseka ◽  
R Ellis ◽  
H Salem ◽  
PA Brennan ◽  
T Terry
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
The Social ◽  
Urological Training

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed training and recruitment in urology in unprecedented ways. As efforts are made to ensure trainees can continue to progress, lessons can be learned to improve training and urological practice even after the acute phase of the pandemic is over. Novel methods of education through virtual learning have burgeoned amidst the social distancing the pandemic has brought. The importance of training in human factors and non-technical skills has also been brought to the fore while operating under the constraints of personal protective equipment and working in new teams and unfamiliar environments. This paper critically appraises the available evidence of how urological training has been affected by COVID-19 and the lessons we have learned and continue to learn going forward. Level of Evidence: Not Applicable.

The Impact of Environmental Design on Doffing Personal Protective Equipment in a Healthcare Environment: A Formative Human Factors Trial

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (06) ◽  
pp. 712-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracey A. Herlihey ◽  
Stefano Gelmi ◽  
Joseph A. Cafazzo ◽  
Trevor N. T. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Environmental Design ◽  
Healthcare Setting ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Safety Communication ◽  
Healthcare Environment ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
The Impact

OBJECTIVE To explore the impact of environmental design on doffing personal protective equipment in a simulated healthcare environment. METHODS A mixed-methods approach was used that included human-factors usability testing and qualitative questionnaire responses. A patient room and connecting anteroom were constructed for testing purposes. This experimental doffing area was designed to overcome the environmental failures identified in a previous study and was not constructed based on any generalizable hospital standard. RESULTS In total, 72 healthcare workers from Ontario, Canada, took part in the study and tested the simulated doffing area. The following environmental design changes were tested and were deemed effective: increasing prominence of color-coded zones; securing disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer; outlining disposal bins locations; providing mirrors to detect possible contamination; providing hand rails to assist with doffing; and restricting the space to doff. Further experimentation and iterative design are required with regard to several important features: positioning the disposal bins for safety, decreasing the risk of contamination and user accessibility; optimal positioning of mirrors for safety; communication within the team; and positioning the secondary team member for optimal awareness. Additional design suggestions also emerged during this study, and they require future investigation. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the importance of the environment on doffing personal protective equipment in a healthcare setting. Iterative testing and modification of the design of the environment (doffing area) are important to enhancing healthcare worker safety. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:712–717

scholarly journals Human Factors Risk Analyses of a Doffing Protocol for Ebola-Level Personal Protective Equipment: Mapping Errors to Contamination

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 950-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel M Mumma ◽  
Francis T Durso ◽  
Ashley N Ferguson ◽  
Christina L Gipson ◽  
Lisa Casanova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Protective Equipment

This study conducted human factors risk analyses of a doffing protocol for Ebola-level personal protective equipment to identify and quantify the risk of errors made by healthcare workers, marked with surrogate viruses, while doffing and to predict rates of self-contamination.

scholarly journals Human Factors Considerations in Using Personal Protective Equipment in the COVID-19 Pandemic Context: A Multinational Survey Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avi Parush ◽  
Oren Wacht ◽  
Ricardo Gomes ◽  
Amit Frenkel
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Level 1 ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
Effective Use

BACKGROUND Full personal protective equipment (level 1 PPE) is used in various domains and contexts. Prior research has shown positive influences of such equipment on performance, comfort, and contamination levels. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a pervasive requirement of PPE, with little preparation, rushed deployment, inadequate time for training, and massive use by personnel who are inexperienced or not qualified in its effective use. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine the key human factors: physical and ergonomic, perceptual and cognitive, that influence the use of level 1 PPE when attending to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients. METHODS The research approach consisted of a short survey disseminated to healthcare professionals in two countries, Israel and Portugal, with similar demographics and healthcare systems. The survey included 10 items with a 5-point Likert Scale, regarding the key human factors involved in level 1 PPE, as identified in prior research. RESULTS A total of 722 respondents from Israel and 301 respondents from Portugal were included in the analysis. All the respondents reported using level 1 PPE with COVID-19 patients in the range of several hours daily to several hours weekly. Cronbach’s alpha was .73 for Israel, and .75 for Portugal. Responses showed high levels of difficulty, with medians of 4 for items related to discomfort, hearing and seeing, and doffing. A factor analysis conducted with the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test result for sampling adequacy yielded 0.75 for the Israeli sample and .77 for the Portuguese sample. This indicates suitability of the data for factor analysis. The analysis showed a strong primary factor including difficulties in hearing, understanding speech, and understanding the surroundings, all with factor loadings higher than .6. A subsequent mediation analysis showed an association of PPE discomfort with situational awareness (P<.01), but this association was mediated by difficulties in hearing and understanding speech, which reflect difficulties in communication. CONCLUSIONS In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic is paving the way for updating PPE design. The use of already deployed technology affords ample opportunities to improve, adapt, and overcome caveats. The findings here suggest that the use of level 1 PPE with COVID-19 patients has perceptual and cognitive effects, in addition to physical and ergonomic influences. Efforts should be taken to mitigate harmful effects of such influences, both regarding the performance of medical actions and the risk of contamination to healthcare workers. Such efforts involve the design of PPE, training staff in using the equipment, and effective communication and teamwork protocols.

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