scholarly journals Incorporating health workers’ perspectives into a WHO guideline on personal protective equipment developed during an Ebola virus disease outbreak

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saskia Den Boon ◽  
Constanza Vallenas ◽  
Mauricio Ferri ◽  
Susan L. Norris
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Expert Panel ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Protective Equipment

Background: Ebola virus disease (EVD) health facility transmission can result in infection and death of health workers. The World Health Organization (WHO) supports countries in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies, which often require developing new guidance in short timelines with scarce evidence. The objective of this study was to understand frontline physicians’ and nurses’ perspectives about personal protective equipment (PPE) use during the 2014-2016 EVD outbreak in West Africa and to incorporate these findings into the development process of a WHO rapid advice guideline. Methods: We surveyed frontline physicians and nurses deployed to West Africa between March and September of 2014. Results: We developed the protocol, obtained ethics approval, delivered the survey, analysed the data and presented the findings as part of the evidence-to-decision tables at the expert panel meeting where the recommendations were formulated within eight weeks. Forty-four physicians and nurses responded to the survey. They generally felt at low or extremely low risk of virus transmission with all types of PPE used. Eye protection reduced the ability to provide care, mainly due to impaired visibility because of fogging. Heat and dehydration were a major issue for 76% of the participants using goggles and for 64% using a hood. Both gowns and coveralls were associated with significant heat stress and dehydration. Most participants (59%) were very confident that they were using PPE correctly. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that it was possible to incorporate primary data on end-users’ preferences into a rapid advice guideline for a public health emergency in difficult field conditions. Health workers perceived a balance between transmission protection and ability to care for patients effectively while wearing PPE. These findings were used by the guideline development expert panel to formulate WHO recommendations on PPE for frontline providers caring for EVD patients in outbreak conditions.

scholarly journals Incorporating health workers’ perspectives into a WHO guideline on personal protective equipment developed during an Ebola virus disease outbreak

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saskia Den Boon ◽  
Constanza Vallenas ◽  
Mauricio Ferri ◽  
Susan L. Norris
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Expert Panel ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Protective Equipment

Background: Ebola virus disease (EVD) health facility transmission can result in infection and death of health workers. The World Health Organization (WHO) supports countries in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies, which often require developing new guidance in short timelines with scarce evidence. The objective of this study was to understand frontline physicians’ and nurses’ perspectives about personal protective equipment (PPE) use during the 2014-2016 EVD outbreak in West Africa and to incorporate these findings into the development process of a WHO rapid advice guideline. Methods: We surveyed frontline physicians and nurses deployed to West Africa between March and September of 2014. Results: We developed the protocol, obtained ethics approval, delivered the survey, analysed the data and presented the findings as part of the evidence-to-decision tables at the expert panel meeting where the recommendations were formulated within eight weeks. Forty-four physicians and nurses responded to the survey. They generally felt at low or extremely low risk of virus transmission with all types of PPE used. Eye protection reduced the ability to provide care, mainly due to impaired visibility because of fogging. Heat and dehydration were a major issue for 76% of the participants using goggles and for 64% using a hood. Both gowns and coveralls were associated with significant heat stress and dehydration. Most participants (59%) were very confident that they were using PPE correctly. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that it was possible to incorporate primary data on end-users’ preferences into a rapid advice guideline for a public health emergency in difficult field conditions. Health workers perceived a balance between transmission protection and ability to care for patients effectively while wearing PPE. These findings were used by the guideline development expert panel to formulate WHO recommendations on PPE for frontline providers caring for EVD patients in outbreak conditions.

scholarly journals Descriptive analyses and risk of death due to Ebola Virus Disease, West Africa, 2014

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1298-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Folorunso Oludayo Fasina ◽  
Olubukola T. Adenubi ◽  
Samuel T. Ogundare ◽  
Aminu Shittu ◽  
Dauda G. Bwala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Risk Of Death

Introduction: Since the first case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Guinea in 2013, major outbreaks have been reported in West Africa. Methodology: Cases and fatalities of EVD caused by Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV) were evaluated, and the risks of dying in the general population and in healthcare workers were assessed. Results: The case fatality rate estimated for EVD was 76.4% in 20 studies. Cumulative proportion of fatal cases in West Africa was 42.9%, 30.1%, and 64.2% in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, respectively. The proportion of total deaths in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea was 42.5%, 35.8%, and 21.6%, respectively. Healthcare workers were at higher risk of dying compared with the general public, and the same applied to intense transmission countries and to countries with sufficient bed capacities. The declaration of a health emergency “out-of-control” situation by the World Health Organization on 8 August 2014 reduced the risk of death among patients. Factors including deplorable healthcare delivery infrastructure in war-ravaged regions of Africa, the impotence of governments to enforce public health regulations, and the loss of confidence in public healthcare delivery programs were key among others factors that enhanced the spread and magnitude of outbreaks. Conclusions: The findings underscore the need for an overall re-appraisal of the healthcare systems in African countries and the ability to cope with widespread epidemic challenges. Outbreaks like that of Ebola diseases should be handled not just as a medical emergency but also a socio-economic problem with significant negative economic impacts.

Doctors’ Knowledge of Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-52
Author(s):  
Clifford Lisk ◽  
◽  
Luke Snell ◽  
Michael Haji-Coll ◽  
Jayne Ellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
At Risk ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Poor Knowledge ◽  
Online Study

Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (VHF) such as Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) are of increasing concern of increasing concern to clinicians and public heath bodies across Europe and America due to the on-going epidemic in West Africa. We conducted an online study to assess clinicians’ knowledge of VHF across six hospital sites in London. This showed suboptimal knowledge of Public Health England guidance, EVD epidemiology and the risk factors for acquiring VHF. Knowledge about VHF was dependent on seniority of grade with the most junior grade of doctors performing worse in several areas of the survey. Poor knowledge raises concerns that those at risk of VHF will be inappropriately risk stratified and managed. Education of doctors and other healthcare professionals about VHF is necessary to address these knowledge gaps.

Challenges in Implementing Ebola Protection Procedures and Personal Protective Equipment Training in a French Maternity Unit

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-103
Author(s):  
Ali Ghanchi
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Emergency Planning ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Maternity Unit

The current Ebola crisis has been described as the “worst outbreak in history” and even though there is an unlikely chance that the epidemic will spread to France, emergency planners have taken this eventuality into consideration. In our maternity unit in Paris, midwife managers were allocated the task of implementing emergency planning into reality and as a result were faced with several challenges that came from various sources. This article discusses problems faced in adapting procedures, training personnel, and testing whether our procedures were effective in preventing Ebola virus disease in our maternity unit. From practical experience, it can be concluded that procedures functioned well and that staff were prepared and well equipped to face this challenging scenario.

Personal protective equipment for the Ebola virus disease: A comparison of 2 training programs

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1281-1287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Casalino ◽  
Eugenio Astocondor ◽  
Juan Carlos Sanchez ◽  
David Enrique Díaz-Santana ◽  
Carlos del Aguila ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Protective Equipment

scholarly journals The 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 95 (8) ◽  
pp. 1619-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Gatherer
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Health Organization

On 23 March 2014, the World Health Organization issued its first communiqué on a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD), which began in December 2013 in Guinée Forestière (Forested Guinea), the eastern sector of the Republic of Guinea. Located on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, Guinea is the first country in this geographical region in which an outbreak of EVD has occurred, leaving aside the single case reported in Ivory Coast in 1994. Cases have now also been confirmed across Guinea as well as in the neighbouring Republic of Liberia. The appearance of cases in the Guinean capital, Conakry, and the transit of another case through the Liberian capital, Monrovia, presents the first large urban setting for EVD transmission. By 20 April 2014, 242 suspected cases had resulted in a total of 147 deaths in Guinea and Liberia. The causative agent has now been identified as an outlier strain of Zaire Ebola virus. The full geographical extent and degree of severity of the outbreak, its zoonotic origins and its possible spread to other continents are sure to be subjects of intensive discussion over the next months.

scholarly journals An Analysis of the International and Domestic Health Hazards Posed by the 2014 West African Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Hickey ◽  
Sarah Cheeseman Barthel ◽  
Tyann Blessington ◽  
Yandace K. Brown ◽  
Diana Y. Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Rapid Identification ◽  
West African ◽  
Ebola Virus Disease ◽  
Health Initiatives ◽  
Barrier Nursing ◽  
Public Health Initiatives

An epidemic of "ebolavirus" in West Africa, which was first identified in March 2014, is now the largest Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak on record. The West African epidemic will only be quelled through widespread adherence of public health initiatives promoting barrier-nursing techniques, health education, and the rapid identification of cases. The ongoing EVD outbreak in West Africa is unlikely to affect public health in the U.S. significantly.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document