Presentation

Objective: Discuss anticipated and unanticipated problems regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: During the recent Covid-19 Pandemic, healthcare centers were challenged by the growing need of personal protective equipment for health care providers Availability of PPE ’ s and uncertainty regarding the impact of the Coronavirus on the ability to sustain needed equipment (ventilators and masks) were of major concerns The anticipated use of face masks were 45000/day This level of use was not sustainable depending on the number of COVID-19 positive patients

Discussion: The primary types of PPE ’ s: gowns, respirators and face shields/goggles were necessary to ensure that health care providers were able to care of COVID-positive patients while protecting themselves from exposure Conflicting information from news outlets and social media were contributing factors Problems related to equipment availability & the donning & doing process contributed to fear and anxiety among the providers Concerns about the lack of adequate equipment was related to problems with global supply chains Security and limited access to the PPE ’ s (N95) were needed to control waste Innovative creations in dealing with the uncertainties related to limited supplies of masks A process of re- sterilization helped limit exposure to our health care providers Other solutions such as educational and hands-on demonstrations was aimed at ensuring proper donning and doffing technique Conclusion: Problems and solutions related to PPE ’ s during the COVID-19 Pandemic forced health care centers to come up with innovative ways and strategies to ensure adequate levels of PPE ’ s for their health care providers N95 masks were especially concerning given the uncertainty of the impact of the coronavirus on the ability of health care centers to properly take care of patient while providing the necessary means to protect their providers Timely communication, education, and unique innovations were key to solving some of these concerns Keywords: PPE ’ s, N95, donning, doffing, re-sterilization