Hair Covering Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Is Essential Need for Frontline Healthcare Workers – Fight Against COVID_19

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Potential Risk ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Small Particles ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers

Protective gears are recommended for airborne diseases transmitted through small particles (droplets), for this reason, the term “PPE” has become popular and much spoken of since the outbreak of COVID-19. PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment (Osha, 2019). PPE is used in most professions where the potential risk of contracting the deadly virus is high. The focus of this article will be on the healthcare sector and what significant role PPE plays in combating COVID_19 pandemic. To continually contribute to the literature, this article seeks to address how incomplete PPE can affect and increase the risk of contracting the deadly virus. Healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, and caregivers have been and still are in the frontline fighting the COVID_19 virus, as a result, there is the need for a complete PPE including hair covering, face shields and surgical masks, to help keep them safe from contracting this transferable virus.

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 Medical Students Volunteering during COVID-19 Pandemic: Synopsis of Some Student-led Initiatives in Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (240) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pragyan Basnet ◽  
Anjali Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
General Public ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Telemedicine Service ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Security Personnel ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers

The efforts shown by healthcare professionals, security personnel and the general public in fighting Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic is highly appreciable. Medical students are future healthcare professionals and have the opportunity to volunteer and help their seniors fight Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic. In Nepal, we as medical students are contributing by raising awareness about Coronavirus Disease 2019 along with some innovative initiatives which are Project Personal Protective Equipment, Project Telemedicine and the ″Donate Plasma, Help Defeat COVID-19″ Campaign. Since we were able to support thousands of frontline healthcare workers with personal protective equipment and reduce burden in hospitals by providing telemedicine service, we believe such volunteering and initiations from medical students can be an inspiration for all students for future crises.

scholarly journals Clusters of Elements for Quality Assurance of Health Worker Protection Measures in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Bartosz Orzeł ◽  
Radosław Wolniak
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Delivery System ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Medical Facilities

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic has had a significant impact on the healthcare delivery system worldwide. Many pre-pandemic norms, standards, and methods of providing medical services in most medical facilities had to be changed and re-evaluated. Many of them will likely stay changed and will probably never be provided in the same way in post-pandemic reality. The COVID-19 crisis is still ongoing and some sources say that we should be prepared for a third wave of the pandemic. The scope of the analysis conducted in this publication is related to the healthcare sector, including services and Polish healthcare professionals’ work quality during the COVID-19 crisis. The research gap, the basis for conducting new research, is the lack of clarified results analysing the quality assurance of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is necessary to ask about healthcare professionals’ rate of personal protective equipment quality in Polish medical facilities. The result of cluster analysis will help us to know what the clusters for variables on quality assurance of protection measures for healthcare workers are. The research was carried out using a questionnaire survey on a sample of 21 medical personnel in Polish hospitals. The main findings of this publication are problems with information flow between staff and staff managers and determining appropriate zones. The quality of the personal protective equipment offered by medical facilities’ management and their availability is at an appropriate level. The publication aims to analyse the level of quality assurance of health care worker protection measures in the example of Silesian voivodeships in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Microwave- and Heat-Based Decontamination for Facemask Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Protocol for a Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayre McNally ◽  
Katie O'Hearn ◽  
Shira Gertsman ◽  
Margaret Sampson ◽  
Lindsey Sikora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Children's Hospital ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
Children’S Hospital ◽  
Eastern Ontario

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of PPE (namely surgical masks, N95 masks, and gowns) has been experienced by some hospitals and could be expected in others due to a rapidly increased need. One method of addressing the issue of PPE shortage is to decontaminate and re-use PPE. The CDC specifically recommends N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) for healthcare workers who are interacting with patients with COVID-19.There are anecdotal reports and published literature evaluating the potential of microwave and heat methods as an effective method for FFR decontamination for reuse, with mixed reports of impact on structural integrity. To date this literature has not been comprehensively synthesized and the purpose of this review is to systematically review the existing literature on microwave and heat-based decontamination of facemask PPE.This information will be used to contribute to PPE decontamination protocols at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and shared with other hospitals in Ontario, Canada, and internationally.

scholarly journals Frontline healthcare workers’ experiences with personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a rapid qualitative appraisal

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e046199
Author(s):  
Katarina Hoernke ◽  
Nehla Djellouli ◽  
Lily Andrews ◽  
Sasha Lewis-Jackson ◽  
Louisa Manby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
National Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers

ObjectivesTo report frontline healthcare workers’ (HCWs) experiences with personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. To understand HCWs’ fears and concerns surrounding PPE, their experiences following its guidance and how these affected their perceived ability to deliver care during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignA rapid qualitative appraisal study combining three sources of data: semistructured in-depth telephone interviews with frontline HCWs (n=46), media reports (n=39 newspaper articles and 145 000 social media posts) and government PPE policies (n=25).ParticipantsInterview participants were HCWs purposively sampled from critical care, emergency and respiratory departments as well as redeployed HCWs from primary, secondary and tertiary care centres across the UK.ResultsA major concern was running out of PPE, putting HCWs and patients at risk of infection. Following national level guidance was often not feasible when there were shortages, leading to reuse and improvisation of PPE. Frequently changing guidelines generated confusion and distrust. PPE was reserved for high-risk secondary care settings and this translated into HCWs outside these settings feeling inadequately protected. Participants were concerned about differential access to adequate PPE, particularly for women and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic HCWs. Participants continued delivering care despite the physical discomfort, practical problems and communication barriers associated with PPE use.ConclusionThis study found that frontline HCWs persisted in caring for their patients despite multiple challenges including inappropriate provision of PPE, inadequate training and inconsistent guidance. In order to effectively care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline HCWs need appropriate provision of PPE, training in its use as well as comprehensive and consistent guidance. These needs must be addressed in order to protect the health and well-being of the most valuable healthcare resource in the COVID-19 pandemic: our HCWs.

scholarly journals Efficacy and Safety of Disinfectants for Decontamination of N95 and SN95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators: Protocol for a Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie O'Hearn ◽  
Richard J Webster ◽  
Anne Tsampalieros ◽  
Margaret Sampson ◽  
Lindsey Sikora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Hydrogen Peroxide ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
Eastern Ontario

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), namely surgical masks, N95 masks, and gowns, has been experienced by some hospitals and could be expected in others due to a rapidly increased need. One method of addressing the shortage is to decontaminate and re-use PPE. The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) specifically recommends N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) for healthcare workers who are interacting with patients with COVID-19. There are anecdotal reports and published literature evaluating the potential of using disinfectants, such as hydrogen peroxide and bleach to decontaminate FFRs, with mixed reports of impact on structural integrity. To date this literature has not been comprehensively synthesized and the purpose of this review is to systematically review the existing literature on the use of disinfectants for the decontamination of facemask PPE.This information will be used to contribute to FFR decontamination protocols at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and shared with other hospitals in Ontario, Canada, and internationally.

scholarly journals Stress and associated factors among frontline healthcare workers in the COVID-19 epicenter of Da Nang city, Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nhan 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

Abstract Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) involved in the COVID-19 response stand 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 the 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 30th August and 15th September 2020, 746 frontline HCWs were recruited to fill 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 an increased stress during the COVID-19 outbreak in Da Nang city. Reducing working time, providing essential personal protective equipment, enhancing of 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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