scholarly journals Specifying and Mitigating Thermal Stress Effects on Cognition During Personal Protective Equipment Use

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 697-703
Author(s):  
P. A. Hancock
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Specific Domain ◽  
Stress Effects ◽  
Care Facilities

Objective To report present understanding concerning selected task and environmental factors influencing the changing performance capacity associated with use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Background Much knowledge is available concerning change in complex cognitive capacities under the effects of thermal stress. Our science can inform critical care facilities as to remediation strategies such as work–rest schedules to minimize performance error in highly cognitively demanding circumstances such as intensive care units. Method The present exposition draws from the state-of-the-art understanding concerning thermal stress effects on cognition and workload in complex and demanding tasks. Results The summation and synthesis of HF/E findings provides important insights into combinatorial effects of forms of stress, typically dealt with only as discrete sources in traditional standards and regulations. The identified interaction between ascending thermal stress and cognitive task demand provides an instance of the plurality of ways HF/E can specify performance limitations in safety-critical circumstances, as witnessed in the current pandemic. Conclusion Accumulated HF/E insights provide systematic ways in which to address and ameliorate the combined forces of physical and cognitive stress on medical personnel constrained to use varying forms of PPE. These principles extend beyond this specific domain to all who are required to work in differential and isolated microclimates. Application To minimize the possibility of critical and life-threatening error in intensive care facilities which necessitate PPE use, we need principled work–rest ratio and heat stress mitigation guidance. To promote health, we need to champion healthy work practices in our health workers. HF/E insights can help achieve this important goal.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Knowledge with Doctors and Nurses’ Compliance Level to Use PPE in Hospital Surgery Room during Pandemic Era

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 162
Author(s):  
Ardi Artanto ◽  
Ratih Pratiwi ◽  
Hilma Tri Ayu Rizda
Keyword(s):  
Operating Room ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
P Value ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Compliance Level ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Doctors And Nurses

Hospitals are not only as a place of treatment, but also as a health service facility that can be a source of infection for other people. Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel are often exposed to potential hazards in hospitals, thus requiring protection in the form of personal protective equipment (PPE). However, compliance with the use of PPE is not always high, which makes doctors and nurses more vulnerable to risk of occupational diseases in hospitals. In one of conducted studies, the conditions that were less compliant in using PPE for health workers were 30%. One of the things that might affect this level of compliance is knowledge about PPE. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between knowledge and compliance level to use personal protective equipment among doctors and nurses in operating room installation from a private hospital in 2020. Analytic observational by using cross sectional research design was used in this study. The population were all doctors and nurses at operating room installation of mentioned hospital above. Sampling was taken by total sampling method and 26 samples met the inclusion criteria. In this study, there were 23 respondents (88.5%) obeyed the use of personal protective equipment, meanwhile 3 respondents (11.5%) who did not. The 3 respondents were on loop or circular nurses. So, there was a significant relationship between the level of knowledge and compliance in the use of personal protective equipment with p-value = 0.027and OR=44. Keywords: personal protective equipment, knowledge level, compliance level

scholarly journals Personal protective equipment in the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of cooling-wear as alleviator of thermal stress

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Luze ◽  
Sebastian P. Nischwitz ◽  
Petra Kotzbeck ◽  
Julia Fink ◽  
Judith C. J. Holzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Negative Control ◽  
Physiological Parameters ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Staff Members

Summary Background High temperatures at workplaces lead to health-related risks and premature exhaustion. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires many health professionals to perform under unfavorable conditions. Personal protective equipment (PPE) causes thermal stress and negatively affects performance. Patients, materials and methods This pilot project investigated the effects of PPE and additional cooling wear on physiological parameters and concentration of six healthy staff members of the Plastic Surgery Department of the Medical University of Graz, Austria during simulated patient care. In this study two 1‑hour cycles with patient care-related tasks with PPE and PPE + cooling-wear, respectively, were conducted. A third cycle with scrubs exclusively served as baseline/negative control. The assessment occurred immediately pre-cycles and post-cycles. Results Pre-cycle assessments showed no significant differences between the cycles. After PPE cycle, increased physical stress levels and decrements in concentration capacity were observed. Physiological parameters were significantly less affected in the cooling cycle, while concentration capacity slightly increased. Conclusion COVID-19 PPE causes considerable thermal stress, ultimately affecting human performance. As opportunity to withstand thermal stress, and improve patients’ and professionals’ safety, cooling-wear can be considered relevant. Medical personnel performing in exceptional situations may particularly benefit from further development and investigation of cooling strategies.

scholarly journals Supplying Personal Protective Equipment to Intensive Care Units during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Colombia. A Simheuristic Approach Based on the Location-Routing Problem

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7822
Author(s):  
Andrés Martínez-Reyes ◽  
Carlos L. Quintero-Araújo ◽  
Elyn L. Solano-Charris
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Intensive Care Units ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Demand Uncertainty ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Location Routing Problem ◽  
Routing Problem ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Location Routing

The coronavirus disease 2019, known as COVID-19, has generated an imminent necessity for personal protective equipment (PPE) that became essential for all populations and much more for health centers, clinics, hospitals, and intensive care units (ICUs). Considering this fact, one of the main issues for cities’ governments is the distribution of PPE to ICUs to ensure the protection of medical personnel and, therefore, the sustainability of the health system. Aware of this challenge, in this paper, we propose a simheuristic approach for supplying personal protective equipment to intensive care units which is based on the location-routing problem (LRP). The objective is to provide decision makers with a decision support tool that considers uncertain demands, distribution cost, and reliability in the solutions. To validate our approach, a case study in Bogotá, Colombia was analyzed. Computational results show the efficiency of the usage of alternative safety stock policies to face demand uncertainty in terms of both expected stochastic costs and reliabilities.

scholarly journals Dependency and Vulnerability of Intensive Care Medicine in Times of COVID-19 Crisis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Therese Lingitz ◽  
Georg A. Roth ◽  
Claus G. Krenn
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Exponential Expansion ◽  
A Minor

Abstract Background. Since December 2019, Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) spread rapidly all over the world, resulting in pandemic. Through high hospitalization rates and via potentially exponential expansion of the disease, the COVID-19 crisis places a tremendous strain on healthcare systems, especially on limited numbers of hospital and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) – beds and equipment.Methods. The aim of this study was to elucidate the possible dependency of ICUs in European Countries with Austria as a pars pro toto in particular on long transglobal supply chains and its potential vulnerability by reported shortages of essential medicines and limited capacities in times of globalization and asserted economic advantages versus the pandemic threat of COVID-19. From 3 April to 8 April 2020 we performed a short survey with heads of Austria’s ICU-wards in different institutions following a structured questionnaire to enquire their personal experience and assessment.Results. We surveyed nearly half of the head physicians of ICUs (n=40) in Austria. 55 percent (n=22) are already treating COVID-19 affected patients at their ICU department. Only 45 percent (n=18) of them had received the amount of personal protective equipment they deemed enough, and 90 percent (n=36) of surveyed ICUs were already informed about shortage supplies concerning personal protective equipment. 45 percent (n=18) already reported infections within their medical personnel. 35 percent (n=14) already reported supply difficulties in several pharmaceuticals, whereas 73 percent (n=29) were informed or already warned by their economic or purchase departments about further potential or real shortages concerning essential pharmaceuticals in near future. Conclusions. Summarizing the results of our survey we would like to draw attention to the lessons we can learn from the COVID-19 crisis in the European Union: European Countries with Austria as a pars pro toto should establish a national production of key equipment and disposables ,at least a minor part of personal protective equipment as well as key pharmaceuticals. European countries need to improve far distance supplies and invest in maintaining critical infrastructure especially in those with limited capacities such as health care in general and ICUs in particular.

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.

scholarly journals Adverse Effects of Personal Protective Equipment Among Intensive Care Unit Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237796082110261
Author(s):  
Takeshi Unoki ◽  
Hideaki Sakuramoto ◽  
Ryuhei Sato ◽  
Akira Ouchi ◽  
Tomoki Kuribara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
World Health ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Medical Database ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
Skin Injuries

Introduction To avoid exposure to SARS-COV-2, healthcare professionals use personal protective equipment (PPE) while treating COVID-19 patients. Prior studies have revealed the adverse effects (AEs) of PPE on healthcare workers (HCWs); however, no review has focused on the AEs of PPE on HCWs in intensive care units (ICUs). This review aimed to identify the AEs of PPE on HCWs working in ICUs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A scoping review was conducted. MEDLINE, CINAHL, the World Health Organization (WHO) global literature on COVID-19, and Igaku-chuo-zasshi (a Japanese medical database), Google Scholar, medRxiv, and Health Research Board (HRB) open research were searched from January 25–28, 2021. The extracted data included author(s) name, year of publication, country, language, article title, journal name, publication type, study methodology, population, outcome, and key findings. Results The initial search identified 691 articles and abstracts. Twenty-five articles were included in the analysis. The analysis comprised four key topics: studies focusing on PPE-related headache, voice disorders, skin manifestations, and miscellaneous AEs of PPE. The majority of AEs for HCWs in ICUs were induced by prolonged use of masks. Conclusion The AEs of PPE among HCWs in ICUs included heat, headaches, skin injuries, chest discomfort, and dyspnea. Studies with a focus on specific diseases were on skin injuries. Moreover, many AEs were induced by prolonged use of masks.

scholarly journals PERILAKU PENGGUNAAN ALAT PELINDUNG DIRI DAN PENULARAN PENYAKIT KULIT PADA PETUGAS TPS DI KECAMATAN SAWAHAN SURABAYA

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Ni Putu Rusmini
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Skin Disease ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Spearman Rank ◽  
The Government

ABSTRAKPetugas TPS atau petugas pengangkut sampah merupakan pekerja yang setiap harinya mengambil atau mengangkut sampah dari rumah ke rumah untuk dikumpulkan kemudian di pilah-pilah di TPS dan akan dikirimkan ke tempat pembuangan yang lebih besar yaitu Tempat Pembuangan Akhir (TPA). Sepanjang hari petugas TPS bekerja dengan sampah sehingga membuat mereka mempunyai risiko tinggi terkena penularan penyakit kulit, baik yang memiliki efek secara langsung maupun tidak langsung. Salah satu upaya yang dapat dilakukan untuk mengurangi resiko terkena penularan penyakit kulit adalah dengan menggunakan Alat Pelindung Diri (APD) Kurangnya kesadaran, kepatuhan dan informasi tentang risiko bahaya, sebagian dari mereka tidak tidak menggunakan APD. APD yang kurang lengkap dapat memungkinkan kontak langsung dengan sampah sehingga mengakibatkan terjadinya gangguan kesehatan salah satunya yaitu menyebabkan penularan penyakit kulit. Jenis penelitian ini adalah analitik korelasi dengan pendekatan cross-sectional. Data diuji dengan Spearman rank test. Pengumpulan data dengan cara observasi, wawancara dan kuesioner. Peneliti menggunakan metode total sampling. Hasil uji statistik menunjukkan p=0.00 (α<0.05) dan r=0.761, sehingga terdapat hubungan yang kuat antara perilaku pemakaian APD dengan penularan penyakit kulit pada petugas TPS. Oleh sebab itu, diharapkan program pemerintah dan petugas kesehatan dapat mendukung penggunaan APD sebagai upaya preventif terhadap penularan penyakit kulit pada petugas TPS.Kata kunci : sampah, petugas TPS, alat pelindung diri (APD), penularan penyakit kulitABSTRACTA garbage worker who take or hauling garbage from house to house and collected and then sorted into the TPS every day and will be sent to landfills larger is the final disposal (landfill). Throughout the day poll workers working with litter so as to make them have a higher risk of skin disease transmission, both of which have the effect of directly or indirectly. One effort that can be done to reduce the risk of skin disease transmission is to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Lack of awareness, compliance and information about the risk of harm, some of them not using PPE. APD incomplete can allow direct contact with garbage, which causes health problems one of which causes the skin disease transmission. This type of research is an analytic correlation with cross-sectional approach. Data were tested with Spearman rank test. The collection of data by means of observation, interviews and questionnaires. Researchers used total sampling method. Statistical analysis showed p = 0.00 (α <0,05) and r = 0.761, so there is a strong relationship between the behavior of the use of PPE with the skin disease transmission at the polling station officials. Therefore, it is expected the government programs and health workers can support the use of PPE as a preventative measure against the spread of skin disease at polling station officials.Keywords: garbage, garbage workers, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), skin disease transmission. DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT PDF >>

FACTORS AFFECTING NURSE ANXIETY IN ROLE AS A CAREGIVER DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-115
Author(s):  
Yurike Septianingrum ◽  
Andikawati Fitriasari ◽  
Erika Martining Wardani
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Multivariate Logistic Regression ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Chi Square Test

Background: During the Covid-19 outbreak, health workers, especially nurses, are vulnerable to potential psychological symptoms such as anxiety, which can prevent nurses from carrying out their role as caregivers in health services (Lai et al., 2020; Shanafelt et al., 2020). Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that can influence the anxiety of nurses in playing the role of caregiver during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a population of all nurses who met the inclusion criteria as much as 105 nurses. The research sample was selected through stratified random sampling and obtained 84 nurses. This research was conducted at RSI Jemursari Surabaya from June until September 2020. The research instruments used in this study were the demographic observation sheet, knowledge questionnaire, and the Hamilton Anxiety Rank Scale (HARS). Data analysis used Pearson chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression. Results: The results of the Pearson Chi-square test showed that of all the factors studied, only age (p = 0.004), availability of personal protective equipment (p = 0.002), and knowledge (p = 0.017) influenced nurses' anxiety. The results of the analysis using multivariate logistic regression test showed that the factor that most influenced nurses' anxiety was the availability of personal protective equipment (p = 0.001; OR = -3.062). Conclusion: Younger nurses, inadequate personal protective equipment, and less knowledgeable nurses were at high risk for more severe anxiety. Regular observation of the psychological condition of nurses and the fulfillment of the need for personal protective equipment is needed to prevent increased anxiety in nurses.   Keywords: Nurse, anxiety, Covid-19, caregiver.

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