Community Pharmacists in Taiwan at the Frontline Against the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic: Gatekeepers for the Rationing of Personal Protective Equipment

Abstract Visitor restriction policies in pediatric wards during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak are variable. Among 36 hospitals that responded to our survey, 97% allowed at least 1 visitor, with 67% restricting to 1 caregiver. Sixty-nine percent required the visitor to wear personal protective equipment and only 19% allowed non-household visitors.

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Decontamination Interventions for the Reuse of Surgical Mask Personal Protective Equipment: A Systematic Review

10.31219/osf.io/z7exu ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

David J Zorko ◽

Shira Gertsman ◽

Katie O'Hearn ◽

Nicholas Timmerman ◽

Nasser Ambu-Ali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Antimicrobial Properties ◽

Original Research ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

The Novel ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

Surgical Masks ◽

Study Characteristics ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Citation Screening

Background: The high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the novel coronavirus outbreak has created global shortages and prompted the need to develop strategies to conserve supply. Surgical mask PPE have a broad application of use in a pandemic setting, but little is known regarding decontamination interventions to allow for their reuse. Objective: Identify and synthesize data from original published studies evaluating interventions to decontaminate surgical masks for the purpose of reuse. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, Global Health, the WHO COVID-19 database, Google Scholar, DisasterLit, preprint servers, and prominent journals from inception to April 8, 2020 for prospective original research on decontamination interventions for surgical mask PPE. Citation screening was conducted independently in duplicate. Study characteristics, interventions, and outcomes were extracted from included studies by two independent reviewers. Outcomes of interest included impact of decontamination interventions on surgical mask performance and germicidal effects. Results: Seven studies met eligibility criteria: one evaluated the effects of heat and chemical decontamination interventions applied after mask use on mask performance, and six evaluated interventions applied prior to mask use to enhance antimicrobial properties and/or mask performance. Mask performance and germicidal effects were both evaluated in heterogenous test conditions across a variety of mask samples (whole masks and pieces or individual mask layers). Safety outcomes were infrequently evaluated. Mask performance was best preserved with dry heat decontamination. Germicidal effects were best in salt-, N-halamine- and nanoparticle-coated masks. Conclusion: There is limited evidence on the safety or efficacy of surgical mask decontamination. Given the heterogenous methods used in the studies to date, we are unable to draw conclusions on the most appropriate, safest intervention(s) for decontaminating surgical masks for the purpose of reuse.

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How did the COVID-19 pandemic change the practice of Paediatric Endoscopists in Europe?

10.21203/rs.3.rs-44454/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ilektra Athiana ◽

Corinne Légeret ◽

Patrick Bontems ◽

Luigi Dall'Oglio ◽

Paola De Angelis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

United Kingdom ◽

European Society ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

The Novel ◽

Endoscopic Procedures ◽

Viral Spread ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Time Point

Abstract Background: As endoscopists are at risk to get infected by the novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 during endoscopic procedures, the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) published recommendations regarding protection for the paediatric endoscopist and endoscopy suite staff. The aim of this survey was to investigate whether European paediatric gastroenterology centres applied the recommendations and how this extraordinary situation was handled by the different centres.Results: Twelve Paediatric European gastroenterology centers (from Belgium, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and United Kingdom) participated. Nine centres (75%) screened their patients for a possible COVID-19 infection before the procedure, the same amount of hospitals changed their practice based on the ESPGHAN recommendations. 67% of the centres reduced the staff in the endoscopy suite, 83% of the units used FFP2/3 masks and protective goggles during the procedure and 75% wore waterproof gowns.Conclusion: The global situation caused by COVID-19 changed so rapidly, and hospitals had to react immediately to protect staff and patients and could not wait for guidelines to be published. Furthermore, uniform guidelines could not be applied by all European hospitals at a certain time point of the viral spread, as different regions of Europe were not only affected differently by COVID-19, but also had different access to personal protective equipment.

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GAAREIP: Indian Innovation of Caps and Personal Protective Equipment

Journal of Neonatology ◽

10.1177/0973217920927606 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (1-2) ◽

pp. 24-27

Author(s):

Aakash Pandita ◽

Girish Gupta

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

The Novel ◽

Care Workers ◽

The World ◽

Coronavirus Infection ◽

Novel Coronavirus

The world has recently been hit by a pandemic caused by the novel Coronavirus infection. The infection is highly contagious and possesses a significant risk for health care workers caring for the infected patients. With more than 200 countries being affected and around 3,00,000 deaths across the globe, the essential supply of masks and personal protective equipment has been falling short of the ever increasing need. In such crisis there is a need for innovating and designing endogenous masks and equipment to avoid compromise in care of the effected patients and for safeguarding the health of health care workers.

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

Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Research ◽

10.18502/pbr.v6i(s1).4395 ◽

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.

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Personal Protective Equipment during Endoscopy

Journal of Digestive Endoscopy ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1712344 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (01) ◽

pp. 45-52

Author(s):

Shibi Mathew ◽

Mathew Philip

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

World Health ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

The Novel ◽

Safety Measures ◽

Care Workers ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Health Organization

AbstractThe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which originated in China has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). This virus gets transmitted through air droplets and direct contact. Health care workers doing aerosol-generating procedures are at a higher risk of acquiring the infection. Many procedures done by the gastrointestinal endoscopists are classified as aerosol-generating procedures, which in turn underline the need for proper safety precautions during these procedures. Apart from general safety measures advised by various organizations, proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is a pivotal factor in safeguarding health care personnel during endoscopy. This article provides a short overview of the different PPEs available and their proper use in endoscopy.

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Electronic personal protective equipment: A strategy to protect emergency department providers in the age of COVID-19

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association ◽

10.1093/jamia/ocaa048 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 967-971 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Robert W Turer ◽

Ian Jones ◽

S Trent Rosenbloom ◽

Corey Slovis ◽

Michael J Ward

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Medical Treatment ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

The Novel ◽

Policy Changes ◽

Medical Screening ◽

Emergency Medical ◽

Risk Patients ◽

Novel Coronavirus

Abstract Emergent policy changes related to telemedicine and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have created opportunities for technology-based clinical evaluation, which serves to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and protect emergency providers. We define electronic PPE as an approach using telemedicine tools to perform electronic medical screening exams while satisfying the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. We discuss the safety, legal, and technical factors necessary for implementing such a pathway. This approach has the potential to conserve PPE and protect providers while maintaining safe standards for medical screening exams in the emergency department for low-risk patients in whom COVID-19 is suspected.

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A Qualitative Comparison of the Covex Respirator with Face Shield Versus the N95 Respirator

2021 Design of Medical Devices Conference ◽

10.1115/dmd2021-1060 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Reid Mimmack ◽

Elijah Germo ◽

Garrett Augustine ◽

Kumar Belani

Keyword(s):

Filtration Efficiency ◽

Current Medical ◽

Pass Rate ◽

World Health ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

The Novel ◽

Qualitative Comparison ◽

Medical Standard ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Health Organization

Abstract In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a worldwide pandemic. The pandemic led to concerns of shortages regarding healthcare-related resources, including personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and more. The uniquely designed COVEX respirator with face shield was engineered and manufactured by Augustine Surgical, Inc. to combat the PPE shortage. The novel COVEX mask is an “all-in-one” face shield and filter with a Viral Filtration Efficiency (VFE) greater than 99%. A standard respirator qualitative fit test was completed on the COVEX respirator as well as the current medical standard 3M N95 respirator. Fit test studies comparing the two masks yielded similar outcomes. The COVEX respirator had a qualitative fit test pass rate of 96.6% and the 3M N95 respirator had a pass rate of 93.3% (n=30). Participants also reported other variables comparing the comfort and fit of each mask, which is described further in the discussion. The COVEX respirator with face shield passed a standardized qualitative fit test at a rate similar to the current medical standard N95 respirator. Our results suggest that the COVEX mask may be a viable PPE option in the future.

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Emergency department preparation for COVID-19: accelerated care units

Emergency Medicine Journal ◽

10.1136/emermed-2020-209788 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 37 (7) ◽

pp. 402-406 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jeanne Noble ◽

Nida Felicija Degesys ◽

Elizabeth Kwan ◽

Edward Grom ◽

Cortlyn Brown ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

San Francisco ◽

Negative Pressure ◽

Potential Model ◽

Adaptive Leadership ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

The Novel ◽

Leadership Challenges ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Rapid Deployment

By 11 February 2020 when the WHO named the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease it causes (COVID-19), it was evident that the virus was spreading rapidly outside of China. Although San Francisco did not confirm its first locally transmitted cases until the first week of March, our ED and health system began preparing for a potential COVID-19 surge in late February 2020.In this manuscript, we detail how the above responses were instrumental in the rapid deployment of two military-grade negative-pressure medical tents, named accelerated care units (ACU). We describe engagement of our workforce, logistics of creating new care areas, ensuring safety through personal protective equipment access and conservation, and the adaptive leadership challenges that this process posed.We know of no other comprehensive examples of how EDs have prepared for COVID-19 in the peer-reviewed literature. Many other EDs both in and outside of California have requested access to the details of how we operationalised our ACUs to facilitate their own planning. This demonstrates the urgent need to disseminate this information to our colleagues. Below we describe the process of developing and launching our ACUs as a potential model for other EDs around the country.

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