July 18, 2022 admin
How long to wear PPE kit?
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Infection Control:
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is specialised clothing or equipment that employees wear to protect themselves from infectious materials. By forming a barrier between the potential infectious material and the health care worker, PPE prevents contact with an infectious agent or body fluid that may contain an infectious agent.
Read more: How long to wear PPE kit?Components of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
Specific PPE component information. Gloves, gowns, shoe covers, head covers, masks, respirators, eye protection, face shields, and goggles are all examples of protective clothing.
• Gloves: Gloves protect you when you are in direct contact with potentially infectious materials or contaminated surfaces.
• Gowns: Gowns protect you from potentially infectious material contaminating your clothing.
• Shoe and head cover: Shoe and head covers protect against possible contamination in a contaminated environment.
• Surgical masks and respirators protect your nose and mouth from splattered body fluids, while respirators filter the air before you inhale it.
• Other Face and Eye Protection: Goggles shield your eyes only from splatters. A face shield protects the skin, eyes, nose, and mouth from splatter.
Making Disposable Personal Protective Equipment Kits:
Gather your supplies to create your own PPE kit. A disposable PPE kit should include the following items:
• One disposable gown,
• One pair of gloves,
• face shield,
• hair and shoe covers,
• and a red bag
Standards and Specifications for Gowns:
- ANSI/AAMI PB70 – Liquid barrier performance and classification of protective apparel and drapes intended for use in healthcare facilities. – Applies to surgical gowns and isolation gowns
2. EN 13795 – Surgical drapes, gowns, and clean air suits, used as medical devices for patients, clinical staff, and equipment. General requirements for manufacturers, processors and products, test methods, performance requirements and performance levels. – Applies to surgical gowns
3. ASTM F2407- Standard specification for surgical gowns intended for use in healthcare facilities – Applies to surgical gowns
Difficulties Faced When Using PPE Kits and How to Overcome Them:
• Background:
Following a slow start due to an effective lockdown, India’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been raging at a rapid pace, posing a formidable challenge to the country’s healthcare system. Personal protective equipment (PPE) unquestionably provides a shield of protection for healthcare workers (HCWs) combating disease as a valuable asset to the nation. However, there have been a number of issues with the PPE, ranging from a lack of it to problems caused by heat, dehydration, and other factors while wearing it. There is a need to assess these issues faced by HCWs both qualitatively and quantitatively in order to address them in a timely and effective manner.
• Methods:
An electronic questionnaire survey was administered to a group of HCWs who had performed COVID-19 duties and used PPE kits. The cohort included various types of doctors, nurses, and other paramedical personnel.
• Results:
Excessive sweating (100%), fogging of goggles, spectacles, or face shields (88%), suffocation (83%), breathlessness (61%), fatigue (75%), headache due to prolonged use (28%), and pressure marks on the skin at one or more areas on repeated use were the most common problems associated with using PPE kits (19 percent ). Skin allergy/dermatitis caused by the synthetic material of the PPE kit, face shield impinging on the neck during intubation, nasal pain, pain at the root of the pinna, and slipperiness of shoe covers were all reported on occasion. HCWs have used a variety of methods and means to address and solve these issues.
• Conclusion:
These plausible solutions will undoubtedly assist HCWs in dealing with and resolving problems associated with PPE use.
Distribution of the number of PPE kits used per duty among various classes of HCWs:
As per survey it is discovered that 101 (40%) of respondents had completed more than 28 days of COVID duty, 83 (33%) had completed 7-14 days, 49 (19%) had completed 15-28 days, and 20 HCWs (8%) had completed up to seven days of COVID duty at the time of survey submission. The median period of completed duty was 15-28 days (IQR=7-14 days). In terms of duty hours per day, 131 respondents (52%) had done 8-12 hours per day, 48 (19%) had done 12 hours or more, 44 (17%) had done six to eight hours, and 30 (12%) had done up to six hours of COVID duty per day.
Excessive sweating (100 percent), fogging of goggles, spectacles, or face shields (88 percent, suffocation (83 percent), breathlessness (61 percent), fatigue (75 percent), headache due to prolonged use (28 percent), and pressure marks on the skin at one or more areas on repeated use were the most common problems associated with using PPE kits (19 percent ). India is a tropical country with hot and, at times, humid weather. As a result, this problem seemed even more daunting. To prevent the spread of droplets and droplet nuclei, hospitals’ central air conditioning systems (with common air duct systems) were turned off. On continuous use, symptoms of dehydration such as muscle cramps, dizziness, vertigo, and nausea were also reported.
One respondent actually collapsed and had to be hospitalised due to symptoms similar to heatstroke. Similar reports from other centres are not uncommon. Respondents reported drinking moderate amounts of cool water before donning (74%), changing kits frequently with intervals in between (59%) and using an AC relaxation room (7%) to alleviate dehydration. Exhaust fans were also installed in each patient room and ICU by the health administration. By creating a negative pressure environment, this not only helped with heat reduction but also reduced the risk of suspended droplets in a closed space. Other researchers have supported similar strategies in the form of pre-cooling (drinking ice slurry), per-cooling (cooling vests)