scholarly journals Virucidal benefits of povidone-iodine use on the ocular surface: a review

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Edington ◽  
Kanna Ramaesh ◽  
David Lockington

Povidone-iodine (PVI) preparations are well known for their microbicidal effect. In ophthalmology, PVI is commonly used to sterilise the ocular surface prior to surgical procedures. It is also used uncommonly as treatment for adenoviral conjunctivitis, yet the virucidal benefits of PVI have not been clearly documented in existing clinical management guidelines for ocular surface conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, has challenged traditional healthcare systems. The morbidity and mortality of this highly contagious disease have resulted in fatalities among healthcare workers, including ophthalmologists. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been identified on conjunctival testing, a potential source of contagious infection which may be unrecognised in asymptomatic carriers. Concern has been raised that ocular procedures may be ‘aerosol-generating’ and the additional wearing of personal protective equipment has been recommended to protect operating theatre staff. This literature review demonstrates that PVI has a broad virucidal activity, including against coronaviruses. It is already used perioperatively as standard of ophthalmic care and has been shown clinically to be effective against adenoviruses on the ocular surface. The current surgical practice of application of 5%–10% PVI applied periocularly for 3 min seems to provide an adequate effective reduction in the patient’s ocular surface viral load. The virucidal benefits of routine PVI use should be included in ophthalmology guidelines regarding safe ocular surgery protocols.

Author(s):  
Nileswar Das ◽  
Priyanka Mishra

The novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has created a massive burden on Healthcare Workers (HCWs). Working in a potentially infectious environment, HCWs are at higher risk of physical and psychological illnesses. However, providing adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is necessary to protect HCWs from rising violence in the community due to fear, frustration, and stigma. The authors highlighted this important yet relatively underresearched entity of public behavior that demands further studies in the future.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Savoia ◽  
G Argentini ◽  
D Gori ◽  
E Neri ◽  
R Piltch-Loeb ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesDuring the course of the Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, Italy has reported one of the highest number of infections. Nearly ten percent of reported coronavirus infections in Italy occurred in healthcare workers. This study aimed to understand physicians’ access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and to information about their use, risk perception and strategies adopted to prevent contracting the infection.MethodsWe undertook a cross-sectional, online self-reported survey implemented between March 31 and April 5 2020 of Italian physicians.ResultsResponses were received from 529 physicians, only 13% of which reported to have access to PPE every time they need them. Approximately half of the physicians reported that the information received about the use of PPE was either clear (47%) or complete (54%). Risk perception about contracting the infection was influenced by receiving adequate information on the use of PPE. Access to adequate information on the use of PPE was associated with better ability to perform donning and doffing procedures [OR=2.2 95% C.I. 1.7-2.8] and reduced perception of risk [OR=0.5, 95% C.I. 0.4-0.6].ConclusionsResults from this rapid survey indicate that while ramping up supplies on PPE for healthcare workers is certainly of mandatory importance, adequate training and clear instructions are just as important.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (COVID19-S4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saqib Ali ◽  
Sara Noreen ◽  
Imran Farooq ◽  
Amr Bugshan ◽  
Fahim Vohra

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are on the frontline of treating patients infected with COVID-19. However, data related to its infection rate among HCWs are limited. The aim was to present evidence associated with the number of HCWs being infected with COVID-19 from most viral affected countries (Italy, China, United States, Spain, and France). Furthermore, we looked into the reasons for HCWs COVID 19 infections and strategies to overcome this problem. Early available evidence suggested that HCWs are being increasingly infected with the novel infection ranging from 15% to 18% and in some cases up to 20% of the infected population. Major factors for infection among HCWs include lack of understanding of the disease, inadequate use and availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), uncertain diagnostic criteria, unavailability of diagnostic tests and psychological stress. Therefore the protection of HCWs by authorities should be prioritized through education and training, the readiness of staff, incentives, availability of PPEs, and psychological support. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2790 How to cite this:Ali S, Noreen S, Farooq I, Bugshan A, Vohra F. Risk Assessment of Healthcare Workers at the Frontline against COVID-19. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(COVID19-S4):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2790 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 1240-1243
Author(s):  
Pradyuman Singh Rajput ◽  
Asish Kumar Saha ◽  
Insiya Gangardiwala ◽  
Anand Vijayakumar Palur Ramakrishnan

The COVID-19 pandemic initially started from the Wuhan capital city of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China had now led to a severe public health hazard across the globe, the recorded death is approximately 958 thousand globally and counting. With the enormous amount of spread of the disease, a severe crisis for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is being noticed across the globe. Face masks being the first line of defence for all the healthcare workers as well for the common public. It became mandatory to wear face masks before entering the patient care area. The countries who are not manufacturing it locally had to depend on other countries for the procurement. As there is a severe supply chain disruption due to the lockdown measures taken by all the countries to contain the disease, so it had become difficult to procure the face masks from the manufacturing countries. The price for these PPEs is also rising at an alarming rate with the increase in the COVID-19 cases and the huge rate of consumption by the healthcare and other sectors. Therefore, with limited resources, the hospital has to run its services. The CDC, WHO and ICMR have released several guidelines from time to time for sterilization and reuse of face masks. This article will discuss the various methods that can be utilized to sterilize the face masks and reuse of it.


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 573-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chu L. Nguyen ◽  
Lawrence J. Oh ◽  
Eugene Wong ◽  
Ian C. Francis

Purpose Povidone-iodine (PI) is widely used to reduce the preoperative conjunctival bacterial load. This study aimed to evaluate the employment of PI 10% in an attempt to sterilize the ocular surface prior to cataract surgery, and to show that PI could be left in contact for 3 minutes. The viability of this exposure time in clinical practice, associated adverse events, and visual outcomes were documented. Methods In this prospective cohort study, phacoemulsification cataract surgery was performed in 604 patients by a single surgeon. Preoperative preparation was undertaken with PI 10%, applied to the cornea, conjunctival sac, eyelids, and periorbital skin with sterile cotton gauze. Povidone-iodine was then flushed onto the ocular surface. Operating room staff timed the precise duration of exposure. After the 3-minute preparation, the lids were thoroughly dried with fresh dry gauze. Results The median PI exposure time was 3.17 minutes, with an interquartile range of 0.25. All cases were followed up postoperatively at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month. There were no complications attributable to PI. Visual outcomes were satisfactory. Conclusions Implementation of a preoperative prophylaxis protocol that used PI 10% with a 3-minute exposure time can be performed in clinical practice. The 3-minute exposure time had no adverse sequelae.


Author(s):  
Taito Kitano ◽  
Pierre-Philippe Piché-Renaud ◽  
Helen E Groves ◽  
Laurie Streitenberger ◽  
Renee Freeman ◽  
...  

Abstract Visitor restriction policies in pediatric wards during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak are variable. Among 36 hospitals that responded to our survey, 97% allowed at least 1 visitor, with 67% restricting to 1 caregiver. Sixty-nine percent required the visitor to wear personal protective equipment and only 19% allowed non-household visitors.


Author(s):  
Nhan Phuc Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Duong Dinh Le ◽  
Robert Colebunders ◽  
Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo ◽  
Trung Dinh Tran ◽  
...  

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.


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