scholarly journals IMPACT OF A SINGLE TUTORIAL SESSION ON THE TECHNIQUE OF USING PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT BY HEALTH CARE WORKERS

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1765-70
Author(s):  
Jamal Azfar Khan ◽  
Asif Ali ◽  
Farzana Muneer
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Tutorial Session ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
The Impact

Objective: To determine the impact of a single tutorial session on the technique of donning and doffing the personal protective equipment by health care workers. Study Design: Cross-sectional comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: CMH Landi Kotal Cantt, from 1st March 2020 to 10th June 2020. Patients and Methods: The study was conducted on 62 health workers, working in CMH Landi Kotal Cantt. They were asked to demonstrate donning and doffing surgical masks, gowns and gloves and the steps were evaluated as per a standardized checklist. Then, the participants were given a single tutorial of the donning and doffing technique of personal protective equipment. They were asked to demonstrate their technique of personal protective equipment use one week, one month and three months after the tutorial. Any improvement was recorded in the checklist used earlier. Results: The correct donning and doffing technique of personal protective equipment were demonstrated by 22 and 14 participants respectively before the tutorial. When evaluated one week after the tutorial, this number increased to 48 and 38 respectively, showing significant improvement (p<0.05). The technique of personal protective equipment use deteriorated significantly one month of the tutorial and deteriorated further after three months (p<0.05). The most common fault while donning and doffing the equipment was the incorrect donning sequence, and self-contamination while taking off the gloves, respectively. Conclusion: A single tutorial session results in significant improvement in the technique of using personal protective equipment by health care workers but the effect is lost over time.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Health Care Workers: Cross-sectional Analysis of an Otolaryngology Unit

2020 ◽  
Vol 163 (4) ◽  
pp. 671-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Paderno ◽  
Milena Fior ◽  
Giulia Berretti ◽  
Alberto Schreiber ◽  
Alberto Grammatica ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Sectional Analysis ◽  
The Impact

The restart of routine in- and outpatient activity in the COVID-19 postepidemic peak needs to be carefully planned in light of specific patterns of viral diffusion. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 serology in the entire personnel of a COVID-19-free otolaryngology department in a highly affected area. The aim was to determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 positivity among staff to clarify the impact of different risk factors for infection. The entire staff of the otolaryngology unit was tested for SARS-CoV-2 serology. Symptomatic staff members were tested with nasal/pharyngeal swabs. All answered a survey focused on the number of in- and extrahospital positive contacts and type of activities in the unit. Five (9%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The only variable associated with a higher risk of infection was the number of extrahospital contacts without personal protective equipment ( P = .008). Our study shows that in non-COVID-19 departments, the use of adequate personal protective equipment leads to low rates of infection among health care workers. The prevalent risk of infection was related to extrahospital contact.

scholarly journals Teaching Adequate Prehospital Use of Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development of a Gamified e-Learning Module

10.2196/20173 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e20173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Suppan ◽  
Birgit Gartner ◽  
Eric Golay ◽  
Loric Stuby ◽  
Marion White ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Learning Module ◽  
Game Mechanics ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Impact

Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Adequate use of this equipment is more critical than ever because the risk of shortages must be balanced against the need to effectively protect health care workers, including prehospital personnel. Specific training is therefore necessary; however, the need for social distancing has markedly disrupted the delivery of continuing education courses. Electronic learning (e-learning) may provide significant advantages because it requires neither the physical presence of learners nor the repetitive use of equipment for demonstration. Objective Inclusion of game mechanics, or “gamification,” has been shown to increase knowledge and skill acquisition. The objective of this research was to develop a gamified e-learning module to interactively deliver concepts and information regarding the correct choice and handling of PPE. Methods The SERES framework was used to define and describe the development process, including scientific and design foundations. After we defined the target audience and learning objectives by interviewing the stakeholders, we searched the scientific literature to establish relevant theoretical bases. The learning contents were validated by infection control and prehospital experts. Learning mechanics were then determined according to the learning objectives, and the content that could benefit from the inclusion of game mechanics was identified. Results The literature search resulted in the selection and inclusion of 12 articles. In addition to gamification, pretesting, feedback, avoiding content skipping, and demonstrations using embedded videos were used as learning mechanics. Gamification was used to enhance the interactivity of the PPE donning and doffing sequences, which presented the greatest learning challenges. The module was developed with Articulate Storyline 3 to ensure that it would be compatible with a wide array of devices, as this software generates HTML5-compatible output that can be accessed on smartphones, tablets, and regular computers as long as a recent browser is available. Conclusions A gamified e-learning module designed to promote better knowledge and understanding of PPE use among prehospital health care workers was created by following the SERES framework. The impact of this module should now be assessed by means of a randomized controlled trial.

scholarly journals Anxiety and Sleep Disturbances Among Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in India: Cross-Sectional Online Survey (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhawna Gupta ◽  
Vyom Sharma ◽  
Narinder Kumar ◽  
Akanksha Mahajan
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Anxiety Levels

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has become a serious concern among the global medical community and has resulted in an unprecedented psychological impact on health care workers, who were already working under stressful conditions. OBJECTIVE In this study, we aimed to evaluate and measure the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the anxiety levels and sleep quality among health care workers in India, as well as to determine how the unavailability of personal protective equipment affects their willingness to provide patient-related care. METHODS We conducted an online cross-sectional study using piloted, structured questionnaires with self-reported responses from 368 volunteer male and female health care workers in India. Study participants were identified through social networking platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp. The survey evaluated the participants’ degree of signs and symptoms of anxiety and sleep quality based on the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale and single-item Sleep Quality Scale, respectively. Information on the availability of personal protective equipment was collected based on responses to relevant survey questions. RESULTS The majority of health care workers (126/368, 34.2%) were in the age group 45-60 years, and 52.2% (192/368) were doctors. Severe anxiety (ie, GAD-7 score &gt;10) was observed among 7.3% (27/368) health care workers, whereas moderate, mild, and minimal anxiety was observed among 12.5% (46/368), 29.3% (108/368), and 50.8% (187/368) health care workers, respectively. Moreover, 31.5% (116/368) of the health care workers had poor-to-fair sleep quality (ie, scores &lt;6). Univariate analysis showed female gender and inadequate availability of personal protective equipment was significantly associated with higher anxiety levels (<i>P</i>=.01 for both). Sleep disturbance was significantly associated with age &lt;30 years (<i>P</i>=.04) and inadequate personal protective equipment (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). Multivariable analysis showed that poorer quality of sleep was associated with higher anxiety levels (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic has potentially caused significant levels of anxiety and sleep disturbances among health care workers, particularly associated with the female gender, younger age group, and inadequate availability of personal protective equipment. These factors put health care workers at constant risk of contracting the infection themselves or transmitting it to their families. Early identification of at-risk health care workers and implementation of situation-tailored mitigation measures could help alleviate the risk of long-term, serious psychological sequelae as well as reduce current anxiety levels among health care workers.

scholarly journals Teaching Adequate Prehospital Use of Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development of a Gamified e-Learning Module (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Suppan ◽  
Birgit Gartner ◽  
Eric Golay ◽  
Loric Stuby ◽  
Marion White ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Learning Module ◽  
Game Mechanics ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Adequate use of this equipment is more critical than ever because the risk of shortages must be balanced against the need to effectively protect health care workers, including prehospital personnel. Specific training is therefore necessary; however, the need for social distancing has markedly disrupted the delivery of continuing education courses. Electronic learning (e-learning) may provide significant advantages because it requires neither the physical presence of learners nor the repetitive use of equipment for demonstration. OBJECTIVE Inclusion of game mechanics, or “gamification,” has been shown to increase knowledge and skill acquisition. The objective of this research was to develop a gamified e-learning module to interactively deliver concepts and information regarding the correct choice and handling of PPE. METHODS The SERES framework was used to define and describe the development process, including scientific and design foundations. After we defined the target audience and learning objectives by interviewing the stakeholders, we searched the scientific literature to establish relevant theoretical bases. The learning contents were validated by infection control and prehospital experts. Learning mechanics were then determined according to the learning objectives, and the content that could benefit from the inclusion of game mechanics was identified. RESULTS The literature search resulted in the selection and inclusion of 12 articles. In addition to gamification, pretesting, feedback, avoiding content skipping, and demonstrations using embedded videos were used as learning mechanics. Gamification was used to enhance the interactivity of the PPE donning and doffing sequences, which presented the greatest learning challenges. The module was developed with Articulate Storyline 3 to ensure that it would be compatible with a wide array of devices, as this software generates HTML5-compatible output that can be accessed on smartphones, tablets, and regular computers as long as a recent browser is available. CONCLUSIONS A gamified e-learning module designed to promote better knowledge and understanding of PPE use among prehospital health care workers was created by following the SERES framework. The impact of this module should now be assessed by means of a randomized controlled trial.

scholarly journals Knowledge of disinfection and personal protective equipment usage amongst health care workers in the COVID-19 scenario

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 3003
Author(s):  
Ravi D. ◽  
Vivek Anand ◽  
Arun Kumar Yadav
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Unknown Etiology ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Treatment Protocols ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Critical Components

Background: Sudden amplification of COVID-19 from pneumonia of unknown etiology to a pandemic has led to overwhelming demand for healthcare resources. Among the critical components of infection and prevention control (IPC) in hospital settings is the mandatory use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by health care workers (HCWs). This study aimed to assess the knowledge of the HCW’s in the usage of appropriate disinfection procedures and PPE usage in each scenario as per MoHFW guidelines.Methods: The study was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study conducted in a COVID-19 hospital for one month from May 2020 to June 2020. The questionnaire was based on the MoHFW guidelines on disinfection and PPE usage and was pre-validated.Results: Of the 146 HCWs who had responded, 50.7% were directly involved in patient care as frontline health care workers (FHCW), and the rest of 49.3% were non-frontline health care workers (NFHCW). 76.7% underwent training on PPE usage, 98 (67%) had training in disinfection procedures and PPE use. The knowledge of the HCWs, irrespective of them being frontline or non-frontline healthcare workers was lacking in certain areas.Conclusions: As we understand more about the disease, more and more treatment protocols are developed, but the prevention of infection in HCWs depends on appropriate PPE usage and disinfection procedures.

scholarly journals Impact of personal protective equipment use on health care workers’ physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros Galanis ◽  
Irene Vraka ◽  
Despoina Fragkou ◽  
Angeliki Bilali ◽  
Daphne Kaitelidou
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact

SummaryBackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers (HCWs) caring for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in high-risk clinical settings have been obliged to wear personal protective equipment (PPE).AimTo assess the impact of PPE use on HCWs’ physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, we examined factors related with a greater risk of adverse events among HCWs due to PPE use.MethodsWe applied the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines and the Cochrane criteria for this systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched PubMed, Medline, Scopus, ProQuest, CINAHL and pre-print services (medRxiv) from January 1, 2020 to December 27, 2020.FindingsOur review included 14 studies with 11,746 HCWs from 16 countries. The estimated overall prevalence of adverse events among HCWs was 78% (95% CI: 66.7-87.5%) with a range from 42.8% to 95.1% among studies. The prevalence of adverse events was higher for the studies with poor quality compared to those with moderate quality (83.5% vs. 67.1%), while increased sample size was related with decreased prevalence (p<0.001). The most frequent adverse events were headache (55.9%), dry skin (54.4%), dyspnoea (53.4%), pressure injuries (40.4%), itching (39.8%), hyperhidrosis (38.5%), and dermatitis (31.0%). Among others, the following factors were related with the risk of adverse events among HCWs due to PPE use: female gender, younger age, obesity, diabetes mellitus, smoking pre-existing headache, longer duration of shifts wearing PPE, increased consecutive days with PPE, and increased exposure to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients.ConclusionThe frequency of adverse events amongst HCWs due to PPE use is very high. Further studies should be conducted since the limitations of this review do not allow us to infer conclusive results especially in case of risk factors for the occurrence of adverse events. Healthcare facilities should take the necessary precautions and change the working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent adverse events associated with PPE use and minimize harm to HCWs.

scholarly journals Anxiety and Sleep Disturbances Among Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in India: Cross-Sectional Online Survey

10.2196/24206 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. e24206
Author(s):  
Bhawna Gupta ◽  
Vyom Sharma ◽  
Narinder Kumar ◽  
Akanksha Mahajan
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Anxiety Levels

Background The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has become a serious concern among the global medical community and has resulted in an unprecedented psychological impact on health care workers, who were already working under stressful conditions. Objective In this study, we aimed to evaluate and measure the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the anxiety levels and sleep quality among health care workers in India, as well as to determine how the unavailability of personal protective equipment affects their willingness to provide patient-related care. Methods We conducted an online cross-sectional study using piloted, structured questionnaires with self-reported responses from 368 volunteer male and female health care workers in India. Study participants were identified through social networking platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp. The survey evaluated the participants’ degree of signs and symptoms of anxiety and sleep quality based on the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale and single-item Sleep Quality Scale, respectively. Information on the availability of personal protective equipment was collected based on responses to relevant survey questions. Results The majority of health care workers (126/368, 34.2%) were in the age group 45-60 years, and 52.2% (192/368) were doctors. Severe anxiety (ie, GAD-7 score >10) was observed among 7.3% (27/368) health care workers, whereas moderate, mild, and minimal anxiety was observed among 12.5% (46/368), 29.3% (108/368), and 50.8% (187/368) health care workers, respectively. Moreover, 31.5% (116/368) of the health care workers had poor-to-fair sleep quality (ie, scores <6). Univariate analysis showed female gender and inadequate availability of personal protective equipment was significantly associated with higher anxiety levels (P=.01 for both). Sleep disturbance was significantly associated with age <30 years (P=.04) and inadequate personal protective equipment (P<.001). Multivariable analysis showed that poorer quality of sleep was associated with higher anxiety levels (P<.001). Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has potentially caused significant levels of anxiety and sleep disturbances among health care workers, particularly associated with the female gender, younger age group, and inadequate availability of personal protective equipment. These factors put health care workers at constant risk of contracting the infection themselves or transmitting it to their families. Early identification of at-risk health care workers and implementation of situation-tailored mitigation measures could help alleviate the risk of long-term, serious psychological sequelae as well as reduce current anxiety levels among health care workers.

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