Comparative efficacy of respiratory personal protective equipment against viral respiratory infectious diseases in healthcare workers: a network meta-analysis

We developed a web-based learning system for healthcare workers to learn the skills for removing personal protective equipment for highly infectious diseases. The system was implemented on a trial basis and healthcare workers evaluated its usability and their motivation to learn. Usability was similar to that of typical systems. Motivation scores were high, indicating confidence and satisfaction with the system.

Download Full-text

Skin problems related to personal protective equipment among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic (online research)

Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology ◽

10.1080/15569527.2021.1902340 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Fatma Etgu ◽

Sevda Onder

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Online Research

Download Full-text

Stress and Associated Factors among Frontline Healthcare Workers in the COVID-19 Epicenter of Da Nang City, Vietnam

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147378 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7378

Author(s):

Nhan Phuc Thanh Nguyen ◽

Duong Dinh Le ◽

Robert Colebunders ◽

Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo ◽

Trung Dinh Tran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Stress Component ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Working Hours ◽

Health Facilities ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Laboratory Workers ◽

Frontline Healthcare Workers ◽

Second Wave

Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) involved in the COVID-19 response have a higher risk of experiencing psychosocial distress amidst the pandemic. Between July and September 2020, a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic appeared in Vietnam with Da Nang city being the epicenter. During the outbreak, HCWs were quarantined within the health facilities in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19 to their respective communities. Using the stress component of the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), we assessed the level of stress among HCWs in Da Nang city. Between 30 August and 15 September 2020, 746 frontline HCWs were recruited to fill in an online structured questionnaire. Overall, 44.6% of participants experienced increased stress and 18.9% severe or extremely severe stress. In multivariable analysis, increased stress was associated with longer working hours (OR = 1.012; 95% CI: 1.004–1.019), working in health facilities providing COVID-19 treatment (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.04–2.39), having direct contact with patients or their bio-samples (physicians, nurses and laboratory workers; OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.02–1.99), low confidence in the available personal protective equipment (OR = 0.846; 95% CI: 0.744–0.962) and low knowledge on COVID-19 prevention and treatment (OR = 0.853; 95% CI: 0.739–0.986). In conclusion, many frontline HCWs experienced increased stress during the COVID-19 outbreak in Da Nang city. Reducing working time, providing essential personal protective equipment and enhancing the knowledge on COVID-19 will help to reduce this stress. Moreover, extra support is needed for HCWs who are directly exposed to COVID-19 patients.

Download Full-text

Rapid implementation of Inpatient eConsult Programme addresses new challenges for patient care during COVID-19 pandemic

BMJ Innovations ◽

10.1136/bmjinnov-2020-000557 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. bmjinnov-2020-000557

Author(s):

Sharon Rikin ◽

Eric J Epstein ◽

Inessa Gendlina

Keyword(s):

Palliative Care ◽

Infectious Diseases ◽

Patient Care ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Qualitative Feedback ◽

The Usa ◽

New Challenges ◽

Science Framework ◽

Context Specific

IntroductionAt the early epicentre of the COVID-19 crisis in the USA, our institution saw a surge in the demand for inpatient consultations for areas impacted by COVID-19 (eg, infectious diseases, nephrology, palliative care) and shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE). We aimed to provide timely specialist input for consult requests during the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing an Inpatient eConsult Programme.MethodsWe used the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance implementation science framework and run chart analysis to evaluate the reach, adoption and maintenance of the Inpatient eConsult Programme compared with traditional in-person consults. We solicited qualitative feedback from frontline physicians and specialists for programme improvements.ResultsDuring the study period, there were 46 available in-person consult orders and 21 new eConsult orders. At the peak of utilisation, 42% of all consult requests were eConsults, and by the end of the study period, utilisation fell to 20%. Qualitative feedback revealed subspecialties best suited for eConsults (infectious diseases, nephrology, haematology, endocrinology) and influenced improvements to the ordering workflow, documentation, billing and education regarding use.DiscussionWhen offered inpatient eConsult requests as an alternative to in-person consults in the context of a surge in patients with COVID-19, frontline physicians used eConsult requests and decreased use of in-person consults. As the demand for consults decreased and PPE shortages were no longer a major concern, eConsult utilisation decreased, revealing a preference for in-person consultations when possible.ConclusionsLessons learnt can be used to develop and implement inpatient eConsults to meet context-specific challenges at other institutions.

Download Full-text

Fit Testing Retrofitted Full-Face Snorkel Masks as a Form of Novel Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2021.133 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Stephanie Toigo ◽

Michel Jacques ◽

Tarek Razek ◽

Ewa Rajda ◽

Sidney Omelon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Centre ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Test Results ◽

Passing Rate ◽

Fit Testing ◽

Full Face ◽

Medical Grade

ABSTRACT Objective: Bottlenecks in the personal protective equipment (PPE) supply chain have contributed to shortages of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in fractures in the functionality of healthcare systems. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of retrofitted commercial snorkel masks as an alternative respirator for healthcare workers during infectious disease outbreaks. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed, analyzing qualitative and quantitative fit test results of the retrofitted Aria Ocean Reef® full-face snorkeling mask on healthcare workers at the McGill University Health Centre between April-June 2020. Historical fit test results, using medical-grade respirators, for healthcare workers were also analyzed. Results: During the study period, 71 participants volunteered for fit testing, 60.6% of which were nurses. The overall fit test passing rate using the snorkel mask was 83.1%. Of the participants who did not previously pass fit testing with medical-grade respirators, 80% achieved a passing fit test with the snorkel respirator. Conclusions: The results suggest that this novel respirator may be an effective and feasible alternative solution to address PPE shortages, while still providing healthcare workers with ample protection. Additional robust testing will be required to ensure that respirator fit is maintained, after numerous rounds of disinfection.

Download Full-text

Acoustic voice characteristics with and without wearing a facemask

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-85130-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Duy Duong Nguyen ◽

Patricia McCabe ◽

Donna Thomas ◽

Alison Purcell ◽

Maree Doble ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Mask Condition ◽

Connected Speech ◽

Significant Attenuation ◽

Cepstral Peak Prominence ◽

Vocal Intensity ◽

Significant Change ◽

The Voice

AbstractFacemasks are essential for healthcare workers but characteristics of the voice whilst wearing this personal protective equipment are not well understood. In the present study, we compared acoustic voice measures in recordings of sixteen adults producing standardised vocal tasks with and without wearing either a surgical mask or a KN95 mask. Data were analysed for mean spectral levels at 0–1 kHz and 1–8 kHz regions, an energy ratio between 0–1 and 1–8 kHz (LH1000), harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS), and vocal intensity. In connected speech there was significant attenuation of mean spectral level at 1–8 kHz region and there was no significant change in this measure at 0–1 kHz. Mean spectral levels of vowel did not change significantly in mask-wearing conditions. LH1000 for connected speech significantly increased whilst wearing either a surgical mask or KN95 mask but no significant change in this measure was found for vowel. HNR was higher in the mask-wearing conditions than the no-mask condition. CPPS and vocal intensity did not change in mask-wearing conditions. These findings implied an attenuation effects of wearing these types of masks on the voice spectra with surgical mask showing less impact than the KN95.

Download Full-text