scholarly journals Frontline workers sound the alarm: be always sure you’re right, then go ahead

Author(s):  
Maroun M Sfeir

Abstract Amid personal protective equipment shortage, clinicians, nurses, and other frontline workers across the world have faced threatening and/or firing for self-protection during this coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This perspective describes the different challenges that the stressed and overworked frontline workers encounter when they raise concerns despite being right. It also highlights the importance of communication and appropriate execution upon hearing those concerns.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (31) ◽  
pp. 87-95
Author(s):  
Nicole Maria Miyamoto Bettini ◽  
Fabiana Tomé Ramos ◽  
Priscila Masquetto Vieira de Almeida

A Organização Mundial da Saúde - OMS confirmou a circulação internacional do novo Coronavírus em janeiro de 2020, nomeando-o como COVID-19 e, declarando uma pandemia. É de extrema importância que durante a pandemia, os profissionais de saúde tenham acesso e conhecimento sobre o uso correto dos Equipamentos de Proteção Individual (EPIs) e suas indicações, tomando assim, as devidas precauções na prevenção de infecções. O presente estudo buscou identificar a padronização mundial quanto ao uso dos EPIs utilizados no atendimento a pacientes suspeitos e/ou confirmados de COVID-19 no Brasil, EUA, China, Espanha, Itália e demais países europeus. Os guidelines apresentam a padronização quanto ao uso dos EPIs utilizados no atendimento a suspeitos e/ou confirmados de COVID-19, indo ao encontro das recomendações fornecidas pela OMS. Até o momento, o uso de EPIs é sem dúvida a estratégia mais importante e eficaz para proteger os profissionais de saúde durante a assistência ao paciente com COVID-19.Descritores: Infecções por Coronavírus, Equipamento de Proteção Individual, Pessoal de Saúde, Enfermagem. Recommendations for personal protective equipment to combat COVID-19Abstract: The World Health Organization - WHO confirmed the international circulation of the new Coronavirus in January 2020, naming it as COVID-19 and declaring a pandemic. It is extremely important that during the pandemic, health professionals have access and knowledge about the correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and its indications, thus taking appropriate precautions to prevent infections. The present study sought to identify the worldwide standardization regarding the use of PPE utilized to take care of suspected and confirmed patients with COVID-19 in Brazil, USA, China, Spain, Italy and other European countries. The guidelines present a standardization regarding the use of PPE utilized to take care of suspected and confirmed with COVID-19, in line with the recommendations provided by WHO. To date, the use of PPE is undoubtedly the most important and effective strategy to protect healthcare professionals during care for patients with COVID-19.Descriptors: Coronavirus Infections, Personal Protective Equipment, Health Personnel, Nursing. Recomendaciones para el equipo de protección personal para combatir COVID-19Resumen: La Organización Mundial de la Salud - La OMS confirmó la circulación internacional del nuevo Coronavirus en enero de 2020, nombrándolo COVID-19 y declarando una pandemia. Es extremadamente importante que durante la pandemia, los profesionales de la salud tengan acceso y conocimiento sobre el uso correcto del Equipo de Protección Personal (EPP) y sus indicaciones, tomando así las precauciones adecuadas para prevenir infecciones. El presente estudio buscó identificar la estandarización mundial con respecto al uso de EPP utilizado para atender a pacientes sospechosos y/o confirmados con COVID-19 en Brasil, Estados Unidos, China, España, Italia y otros países europeos. Las pautas presentan la estandarización con respecto al uso de EPP utilizado para cuidar COVID-19 sospechoso y/o confirmado, de acuerdo con las recomendaciones proporcionadas por la OMS. Hasta la fecha, el uso de EPP es, sin duda, la estrategia más importante y efectiva para proteger a los profesionales de la salud durante la atención de pacientes con COVID-19.Descriptores: Infecciones por Coronavirus, Equipo de Protección Personal, Personal de Salud, Enfermería.


Author(s):  
Yu-Bin Dong ◽  
Luo-Gang Ding ◽  
Song Wang ◽  
Bingjian Yao ◽  
Wen-Xiu Wu ◽  
...  

As an important personal protective equipment (PPE), facemasks play an important role in self-protection during disastrous COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses pandemic. On the other hand, massive utilization of disposable...


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 87-92
Author(s):  
Abdullelah Al Thobaity ◽  
Farhan Alshammari

COVID-19 has affected the life and health of more than 1 million people across the world. This overwhelms many countries’ healthcare systems, and, of course, affects healthcare providers such as nurses fighting on the frontlines to safeguard the lives of everyone affected. Exploring the issues that nurses face during their battle will help support them and develop protocols and plans to improve their preparedness. Thus, this integrative review will explore the issues facing nurses during their response to the COVID-19 crisis. The major issues facing nurses in this situation are the critical shortage of nurses, beds, and medical supplies, including personal protective equipment and, as reviews indicate, psychological changes and fears of infection among nursing staff. The implications of these findings might help to provide support and identify the needs of nurses in all affected countries to ensure that they can work and respond to this crisis with more confidence. Moreover, this will help enhance preparedness for pandemics and consider issues when drawing up crisis plans. The recommendation is to support the nurses, since they are a critical line of defense. Indeed, more research must be conducted in the field of pandemics regarding nursing.


Recycling ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Fabiula Danielli Bastos de Sousa

Since the beginning of the first cases of the new coronavirus, opinions and laws on the use of plastic materials have been questioned around the world. Their importance in the manufacture of hospital devices and personal protective equipment (PPE) is unquestionable, as they contribute largely to the reduction of the virus spread, helping health systems from all edges of the world and, most importantly, saving lives. However, the same material that is a protector, becomes a polluter when inadequately disposed of in the environment, generating or worsening socio-environmental problems, such as pollution of water bodies by plastic. A critical overview of the role of plastic during the COVID-19 pandemic is provided in this paper. A future panorama is attempted to be outlined. The real possibility of the virus spread from the use of plastic is discussed, as well as the recycling of plastic during the pandemic, correlating its use with problems that it may cause.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (02) ◽  
pp. 49-56
Author(s):  
Krishna Prasad D ◽  
Anupama Prasad D ◽  
Mayank Kumar Parakh

AbstractThe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic the world is currently facing head on. It is a viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). No current vaccine is available nor a curative treatment option is available at present, thus making it even more important to prevent the disease. Since dentists are in very close contact with their patients and there is aerosol production in various dental treatments, they are at a heightened risk of contracting the disease. To prevent the disease, strict hand and respiratory hygiene needs to be followed. Personal protective equipment should be used for any emergency procedures and thorough history must be taken of every patient. Digitalization of seminars and classes has been adopted by various dental institutions. With high infectivity of the virus, social distancing and stringent prevention protocols can help in controlling this severe global threat.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1375-1383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro Pecchia ◽  
Davide Piaggio ◽  
Alessia Maccaro ◽  
Claudio Formisano ◽  
Ernesto Iadanza

Abstract COVID-19 pandemic is plaguing the world and representing the most significant stress test for many national healthcare systems and services, since their foundation. The supply-chain disruption and the unprecedented request for intensive care unit (ICU) beds have created in Europe conditions typical of low-resources settings. This generated a remarkable race to find solutions for the prevention, treatment and management of this disease which is involving a large amount of people. Every day, new Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solutions regarding personal protective equipment and medical devices populate social media feeds. Many companies (e.g., automotive or textile) are converting their traditional production to manufacture the most needed equipment (e.g., respirators, face shields, ventilators etc.). In this chaotic scenario, policy makers, international and national standards bodies, along with the World Health Organization (WHO) and scientific societies are making a joint effort to increase global awareness and knowledge about the importance of respecting the relevant requirements to guarantee appropriate quality and safety for patients and healthcare workers. Nonetheless, ordinary procedures for testing and certification are currently questioned and empowered with fast-track pathways in order to speed-up the deployment of new solutions for COVID-19. This paper shares critical reflections on the current regulatory framework for the certification of personal protective equipment. We hope that these reflections may help readers in navigating the framework of regulations, norms and international standards relevant for key personal protective equipment, sharing a subset of tests that should be deemed essential even in a period of crisis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 402-410
Author(s):  
Ignacio CARREÑO ◽  
Tobias DOLLE ◽  
Lourdes MEDINA ◽  
Moritz BRANDENBURGER

On 17 March 2020, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission (hereinafter, Commission), Ursula von der Leyen, announced further European Union (EU) actions in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Since the pandemic reached Europe, the EU has adopted a number of trade-related measures, including the issuance of guidelines for national border management, as well as export authorisation requirements. On 14 March 2020, the Commission adopted “Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/402 of 14 March 2020 making the exportation of certain products subject to the production of an export authorisation”, temporarily restricting exports of “personal protective equipment” to destinations outside of the EU. On 14 April 2020, the Commission announced that it would narrow down export authorisation requirements to protective masks only and extend the geographical and humanitarian exemptions. Governments around the world have been implementing trade-related measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some trade restrictive, but a number of countries have also called for the elimination of export controls and restrictions on essential goods. As the greater implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade are still difficult to assess, the emergency measures taken by affected countries already require legal scrutiny. At the same time, it must be noted that, as noted above for the EU measures, measures around the world are subject to change dynamically in view of the evolution of the pandemic.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Syahrisal Syahrisal ◽  
Paulus Pongkessu ◽  
Mahadir Sirman ◽  
Heny Pasandang Nari

Implementation according to the rules of occupational safety and health is needed in all jobs that are useful to avoid things that are not desirable, such as work accidents. The workforce consists of educated and trained people. One of the educated people referred to is the D-IV and DP-III graduates of the Makassar Shipping Polytechnic, because one of the fillers in the world of work is the Polytechnic graduate. The learning process while in the laboratory must be a serious concern in order to get qualified prospective workers, especially understanding about the application of occupational safety and health (K3) especially the use of personal protective equipment so that there are no direct or indirect obstacles in the work, such as work accidents occur, damage to machinery, cessation of production processes, environmental damage and expenses related to work accidents. The purpose of this research is to find out the availability and analyze the application of personal protective equipment to occupational safety and health in the workshop. This research includes the type of survey research with quantitative methods. This design seeks to determine the PPE facilities available at the Workshop, symbols / cues about occupational safety and health, the conditions of the practice room and what percentage of PPE use by cadets during practice. The data collection method is done by using a questionnaire and documentation used to determine PPE facilities available in the Workshop, symbols / cues about occupational safety and health, the conditions of the practice room and what percentage of the use of PPE cadets during practice. The conclusion is that the personal protective equipment (PPE) facilities in the workshop have been provided by the workshop and can be used by cadets or pasis and safely in accordance with government regulations, and the knowledge, understanding and application of cadets towards PPE have reached an average of 95%


Author(s):  
Marco Túlio Barroso Vilarinho ◽  
Clara Oliveira e Souza ◽  
Juliana Schvartz ◽  
Kylza Azevedo ◽  
Noeli Mofati Lima ◽  
...  

Anesthesiologists play a crucial role in the management of critically ill patients, both in the leadership of rapid response teams for orotracheal intubation, and in the operating room. Therefore, they become extremely exposed. Discussing preventive strategies and conducting team training, with emphasis on paramentation of personal protective equipment and airway algorithms, are fundamental to improve outcomes. This study addresses the main characteristics of the COVID-19 with focus on the handling of the disease by anesthesiologists, bringing epidemiologic data from Brazil and the world, as well as the impact this new virus might have on the health system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 487-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Ivanoska-Dacikj ◽  
Urszula Stachewicz

AbstractRecent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world dramatically, posing profound challenges to our healthcare infrastructure, economic systems, social and cultural life but also to our freedom. What this pandemic made us realize so far, is that, despite the tremendous advances in medicine and pharmacy, in the initial moments, which are crucial in the containment of spreading of any pandemic, the key role is played by the non-pharmaceutical measures. These measures are the ones that bridge the time between pandemic outbreaks and the development of drugs or vaccines and are crucial for the number of human lives spared. Smart textiles and novel materials as part of the personal protective equipment (PPE) and telemedicine are crucial factors in the healthcare system. Here, we present an overview on the use of textiles in the fight against pandemics, in the past and current COVID-19, we analyze the morphology of the commonly used face masks, made of cotton and typically used polypropylene (PP). We also present the perspective that smart textiles, wearable technologies and novel materials are offering in the fight against future pandemics, mainly as part of the personal protective equipment and telemedicine.


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