scholarly journals An Otorhinolaryngology Perspective Into a Hospital COVID-19 Cluster

2021 ◽  
pp. 201010582110555
Author(s):  
Jian Li Tan ◽  
Ming Yann Lim ◽  
Augustine Yui Ler Chai ◽  
Seng Beng Yeo
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Healthcare Institution ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Variant Strain ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
The Future

In this commentary, we share our experience of a COVID-19 cluster which developed within a frontline healthcare facility designated for treating COVID-19 patients. We provide an Otorhinolaryngology perspective into the key challenges, analyses and responses. We discuss how we identified and isolated infected patients and staff, uncovered the responsible COVID-19 variant strain B1.617.2 and instituted various measures to overcome this cluster. The measures include ceasing non-essential services, limiting transfers of patients, a heightened stance of personal protective equipment, ring-fencing of staff and enhanced COVID-19 testing. With rapid hospital wide efforts, there were no new non-isolated cases from our hospital cluster 3 days after the wards were locked down. The cluster which developed on 28-April-2021 was closed on 6-Jun-2021, with 48 cases, ten of whom were healthcare workers. Some of these lessons may be useful for consideration should another healthcare institution face a similar crisis in the future.

scholarly journals Hand Hygiene and Personal Protective Equipment in Healthcare Settings During COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-75
Author(s):  
Md Rezaul Karim ◽  
Sushil Kumar Sah ◽  
Afsarunnesa Syeda ◽  
Muhammad Tanvir Faysol ◽  
Aminur Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Mandatory Training ◽  
Before And After

Objective: This study conducted to implement protective measures in healthcare settings during theCOVID-19 pandemic in the context of Bangladesh. Methods: It is an observational survey study. A pre-designed open questionnaire electronic linkusing google form was used to collect data from 500 healthcare workers within Bangladesh in whichparticipants were observed, and variables were measured. Results: The study findings revealed that among all participants, 70.9% were working in COVID-19dedicated hospitals, and 1.8% were diagnosed with COVID-19 while working. The study showed that69.1% of participants washed hands before and after consulting/handling each patient, 69.1% hadreadily available rubs/sanitizer in their healthcare facility, and 65.5% adhered principals ofhandwashing. The study also revealed that only 76.4% of participants maintained aseptic precautionsfor donning/doffing. Conclusion: The study findings recommend that mandatory training and maintaining asepticprecautions for PPE putting on (donning), and removal (doffing) is equally important. Bangladesh J Medicine July 2020; 31(2) :69-75

scholarly journals Different perspectives of doctors and nurses about the continuation of usage of some of the protection measures after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-46
Author(s):  
Marina Ruxandra Oțelea ◽  
Dana Mateș ◽  
Agripina Rașcu
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Future ◽  
Doctors And Nurses

Abstract The current pandemic pointed toward a revision of the protection measures against infectious diseases. For any given new pathogen against which human species showed no immunity, isolation and personal protection equipment proved to reduce disease transmission. In medical settings, when there is inevitable contact with infected patients, these preventive measures have undoubtedly change the process of care delivery. The study aims to investigate the opinion of the healthcare workers about the utilization of the personal protective equipment after the pandemic stops. For this purpose, we conducted an online survey about changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the healthcare workers, the survey also included several questions related to personal protective equipment. A total of 512 responders, doctors, and nurses answered to the survey. We performed comparisons between these two categories of personnel using the χ test. Overall, the results show that doctors are keener to follow the recommendations for the personal protective equipment in the future; there was a statistically significant difference (p<0.001) for the usage of gloves and masks while examining febrile patients, and for the handwashing after the examination of each patient. The type of service (outpatient or inpatient procedures) and direct contact with a COVID-19 patient were other factors to modulate the responses regarding using personal protective equipment in the future. The fact that 14.06% of the responders did not consider it necessary to wash hands after examining each patient underlines the urgent need for safety education in all healthcare workers and nurses.

scholarly journals Protecting Healthcare Workers From COVID-19 and the Assaulting Society: Indian Perspective

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nileswar Das ◽  
Priyanka Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The Future ◽  
Public Behavior ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Indian Perspective

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.

scholarly journals Challenges of limited reuse and extended use of N95 filtering facepiece respirators: Lesson learnt from COVID-19 pandemic in Mumbai, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-120
Author(s):  
Kinjal P Patel ◽  
Trupti Carval
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Lower Risk ◽  
Initial Phase ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Compliance Rate ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
The Future ◽  
Risk Areas

Introduction: Usage of personal protective equipment, which includes N95 filtering face piece respirators (FFRs), was the major preventive measure for healthcare workers to control COVID-19 transmission. However, a global shortage of N95 FFRs was observed worldwide during initial phase of pandemic. Reusing mask was the only strategy and various decontamination methods were suggested. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the compliance rate of limited reuse and extended use policy implemented in hospital. Methods: Limited reuse and extended use policy of N95 FFRs was implemented for one month in lower risk areas. Compliance to policy was checked by questionnaires asked to 100 healthcare workers verbally and challenges faced by them were noted. Results: It was observed that overall compliance to policy was 80%. Major reasons of non-compliance were suffocation, followed by smell from mask and loosened strips. Conclusion: Limited reuse and extended use method was successfully used as a bridge until sufficient N95 FFRs were not available although effective decontamination method must be established in hospitals to prepare ourselves for the future pandemics.

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

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.

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

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.

scholarly journals Acoustic voice characteristics with and without wearing a facemask

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.

scholarly journals Adherence to personal protective equipment use among healthcare workers caring for confirmed COVID-19 and alleged non-COVID-19 patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meike M. Neuwirth ◽  
Frauke Mattner ◽  
Robin Otchwemah
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Care Workers

AbstractAdherence observations of health care workers (HCW) revealed deficiencies in the use of recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) among HCW caring in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards during the first period of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in a university hospital in Germany. The adherence to wearing surgical face or FFP2-masks and disinfecting hands prior to donning and after doffing the PPE was significantly higher in COVID-19 wards However, there was no total adherence of 100% in COVID-19 wards.

scholarly journals Use of Personal Protective Equipment and Operating Room Behaviors in Four Surgical Subspecialties: Personal Protective Equipment and Behaviors in Surgery

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (02) ◽  
pp. 110-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deniz Akduman ◽  
Lynn E. Kim ◽  
Rodney L. Parks ◽  
Paul B. L'Ecuyer ◽  
Sunita Mutha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Room ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Hand Surgery ◽  
Occupational Exposures ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Exposure Rate ◽  
Total Exposure

AbstractObjective:To evaluate Universal Precautions (UP) compliance in the operating room (OR).Design:Prospective observational cohort. Trained observers recorded information about (1) personal protective equipment used by OR staff; (2) eyewear, glove, or gown breaks; (3) the nature of sharps transfers; (4) risk-taking behaviors of the OR staff; and (5) needlestick injuries and other blood and body-fluid exposures.Setting:Barnes-Jewish Hospital, a 1,000-bed, tertiary-care hospital affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.Participants:OR personnel in four surgical specialties (gynecologic, orthopedic, cardiothoracic, and general). Procedures eligible for the study were selected randomly. Hand surgery and procedures requiring no or a very small incision (eg, arthroscopy, laparoscopy) were excluded.Results:A total of 597 healthcare workers' procedures were observed in 76 surgical cases (200 hours). Of the 597 healthcare workers, 32% wore regular glasses, and 24% used no eye protection. Scrub nurses and medical students were more likely than other healthcare workers to wear goggles. Only 28% of healthcare workers double gloved, with orthopedic surgery personnel being the most compliant. Sharps passages were not announced in 91% of the surgical procedures. In 65 cases (86%), sharps were adjusted manually. Three percutaneous and 14 cutaneous exposures occurred, for a total exposure rate of 22%.Conclusion:OR personnel had poor compliance with UP. Although there was significant variation in use of personal protective equipment between groups, the total exposure rate was high (22%), indicating the need for further training and reinforcement of UP to reduce occupational exposures.

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