scholarly journals Nurses on the Frontline against the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Integrative Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 87-92
Author(s):  
Abdullelah Al Thobaity ◽  
Farhan Alshammari
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Staff ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Critical Line ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Integrative Review ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Crisis Plans ◽  
Medical Supplies ◽  
The World

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.

scholarly journals An assessment of trade policies related to COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Rosane Nunes de Faria ◽  
Laura Mercedes Grimaldo Hidalgo ◽  
Leonardo Ferraz
Keyword(s):  
International Trade ◽  
World Trade Organization ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Trade Policies ◽  
Medical Supplies ◽  
The World ◽  
Second Wave

Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, international trade was particularly important to guarantee the supply of medical and other goods. This article analyses COVID-19 trade-related policies found in the World Trade Organization (WTO) system from February to October 2020. We used the Database of WTO members’ notifications on COVID-19, including information on 198 notifications. It allows us to observe the trend of notifications, countries and products most affected, types of measures, and the adherence to the WTO’s guidelines. Our findings show two waves of notifications. In the first wave, countries acted unilaterally with little regard to multilateral tools. However, in the second wave, characterized by the predominance of trade-facilitating measures, a trend towards multilateral actions is observed through the establishment of “declarations”. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies were the most affected products, but agricultural and food products have also been heavily affected.

scholarly journals VA TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROGRAM RESPONDS TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Duvall ◽  
Garrett G. Grindle ◽  
John Kaplan ◽  
David Marks ◽  
Lee Sylvers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Technology Transfer ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Transfer Program ◽  
The World ◽  
Technology Transfer Program ◽  
Assistance Project

The COVID-19 pandemic stressed healthcare systems all over the world. Two primary challenges that healthcare systems faced were a shortage of personal protective equipment and the need for new technologies to handle infection prevention for staff and patients. The Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Technology Transfer Program responded by prioritizing the development of innovations in the Technology Transfer Assistance Project which addressed the pandemic. This paper describes several innovations that addressed the needs of the VA healthcare system during the pandemic and how they were rapidly developed.

Infectious safety of nursing staff in departments (offices) functional diagnostics in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
pp. 30-33
Author(s):  
E. V. Panina ◽  
M. V. Pugachev ◽  
A. G. Shchesiu
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Nursing Staff ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Medical Waste ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Functional Diagnostics ◽  
Prevention Of Infections ◽  
Epidemiological Situation

The article shows that in the daily activities of nursing staff of functional diagnostics departments (offices), it is necessary to strictly observe the requirements and rules for the prevention of infections associated with medical care, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The types of personal protective equipment (PPE) of medical personnel (MP), as well as current effective methods of disinfection, rules for collecting medical waste in a complex epidemiological situation are presented.

Recomendações de equipamentos de proteção individual no combate ao COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (31) ◽  
pp. 87-95
Author(s):  
Nicole Maria Miyamoto Bettini ◽  
Fabiana Tomé Ramos ◽  
Priscila Masquetto Vieira de Almeida
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Personnel ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
World Health ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

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.

scholarly journals Lived experiences of frontline healthcare providers offering maternal and newborn services amidst the novel corona virus disease 19 pandemic in Uganda: A qualitative study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0259835
Author(s):  
Herbert Kayiga ◽  
Diane Achanda Genevive ◽  
Pauline Mary Amuge ◽  
Andrew Sentoogo Ssemata ◽  
Racheal Samantha Nanzira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Newborn Care ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Maternal And Newborn

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many health systems in low resource settings to their knees. The pandemic has had crippling effects on the already strained health systems in provision of maternal and newborn healthcare. With the travel restrictions, social distancing associated with the containment of theCOVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers could be faced with challenges of accessing their work stations, and risked burnout as they offered maternal and newborn services. This study sought to understand the experiences and perceptions of healthcare providers at the frontline during the first phase of the lockdown as they offered maternal and newborn health care services in both public and private health facilities in Uganda with the aim of streamlining patient care in face of the current COVID-19 pandemic and in future disasters. Methods Between June 2020 and December 2020, 25 in-depth interviews were conducted among healthcare providers of different cadres in eight Public, Private-Not-for Profit and Private Health facilities in Kampala, Uganda. The interview guide primarily explored the lived experiences of healthcare providers as they offered maternal and newborn healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. All of the in depth interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Themes and subthemes were identified using both inductive thematic and phenomenological approaches. Results The content analysis of the in depth interviews revealed that the facilitators of maternal and newborn care service delivery among the healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic included; salary bonuses, the passion to serve their patients, availability of accommodation during the pandemic, transportation to and from the health facilities by the health facilities, teamwork, fear of losing their jobs and fear of litigation if something went wrong with the mothers or their babies. The barriers to their service delivery included; lack of transport means to access their work stations, fear of contracting COVID-19 and transmitting it to their family members, salary cuts, loss of jobs especially in the private health facilities, closure of the non-essential services to combat high patient numbers, inadequate supply of Personal Protective equipment (PPE), being put in isolation or quarantine for two weeks which meant no earning, brutality from the security personnel during curfew hours and burnout from long hours of work and high patient turnovers. Conclusion The COVID-19 Pandemic has led to a decline in quality of maternal and newborn service delivery by the healthcare providers as evidenced by shorter consultation time and failure to keep appointments to attend to patients. Challenges with transport, fears of losing jobs and fear of contracting COVID-19 with the limited access to personal protective equipment affected majority of the participants. The healthcare providers in Uganda despite the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic are driven by the inherent passion to serve their patients. Availability of accommodation and transport at the health facilities, provision of PPE, bonuses and inter professional teamwork are critical motivators that needed to be tapped to drive teams during the current and future pandemics.

scholarly journals Decontamination methods of personal protective equipment for repeated utilization in medical/surgical settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (34) ◽  
pp. 27-39
Author(s):  
Abdurrahman Kharbat ◽  
Adin Mizer ◽  
Mimi Zumwalt
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Medical Supplies ◽  
Policy Statements ◽  
Repeated Use ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
N95 Respirators ◽  
Made In

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected citizens and healthcare workers worldwide due to a number of important factors. The transmission of the SARS CoV-2 microorganism, the pathogen that causes COVID-19 infection, occurs through droplet and aerosol spread due to coughs and sneezes from infected patients. A panicked public began hoarding medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), leaving healthcare workers to care for patients without adequate protection. A literature review was conducted to better understand the options available to hospital and healthcare system administrators as they develop necessary protocols for the conservation and possible reuse of PPE. This review is based upon the peer-reviewed studies of various scientific investigators, biotechnology researchers, governmental agency health officials, including meta-analyses, preliminary/pilot studies, and policy statements. Current findings indicate that extended usage of N95 respirators is practical since there are methods available for the decontamination/repeated use of N95 respirators. In evaluating the efficacy of such methods, the safety of healthcare workers is important in deciding which method to recommend. Available evidence supports the use of the Bioquell Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor (HPV) system for decontaminating N95 respirators. Information on other PPE will also be discussed about more specific items. Informed decisions regarding the policies of hospitals and healthcare systems must be considered, and with the safety of healthcare workers in mind, both factors influenced the recommendations made in this comprehensive review.

scholarly journals Portable negative pressure environment to protect staff during aerosol-generating procedures in patients with COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. e000653
Author(s):  
James Nilson ◽  
Nikolay Bugaev ◽  
Pavan Sekhar ◽  
Haracio Hojman ◽  
Luis Gonzalez-Ciccarelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Negative Pressure ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Cost Effective Method

Patients with COVID-19 often need therapeutic interventions that are considered high aerosol-generating procedures. These are either being performed by healthcare providers with potentially inadequate personal protective equipment or the procedures are being delayed until patients clear their viral load. Both scenarios are suboptimal. We present a simple, cost-effective method of creating a portable negative pressure environment using equipment that is found in most hospitals to better protect healthcare providers and to facilitate more timely care for patients with COVID-19.

scholarly journals Rapid Review of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 Viability, Susceptibility to Treatment, and the Disinfection and Reuse of PPE, Particularly Filtering Facepiece Respirators

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 6117 ◽  
Author(s):  
José G. B. Derraik ◽  
William A. Anderson ◽  
Elizabeth A. Connelly ◽  
Yvonne C. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Ultraviolet Light ◽  
Nursing Staff ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Health Care Settings ◽  
The Impact

In the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, hospitals are often stretched beyond capacity. There are widespread reports of dwindling supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly N95-type filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), which are paramount to protect frontline medical/nursing staff, and to minimize further spread of the virus. We carried out a rapid review to summarize the existing literature on the viability of SARS-CoV-2, the efficacy of key potential disinfection procedures against the virus (specifically ultraviolet light and heat), and the impact of these procedures on FFR performance, material integrity, and/or fit. In light of the recent discovery of SARS-CoV-2 and limited associated research, our review also focused on the closely related SARS-CoV-1. We propose a possible whole-of-PPE disinfection solution for potential reuse that could be rapidly instituted in many health care settings, without significant investments in equipment.

scholarly journals Pros and Cons of Plastic during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Recycling ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Fabiula Danielli Bastos de Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Health Systems ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Virus Spread ◽  
Real Possibility ◽  
Plastic Materials ◽  
The World ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Critical Overview

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.

Coronavirus and Its Impact on Dental Fraternity

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (02) ◽  
pp. 49-56
Author(s):  
Krishna Prasad D ◽  
Anupama Prasad D ◽  
Mayank Kumar Parakh
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Emergency Procedures ◽  
Current Vaccine ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
Respiratory Hygiene ◽  
High Infectivity

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.

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