Question

1. Infection Control and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
   1. What is the procedure for safe blood and plasma collection for patients diagnosed with/suspected to have COVID-19?
   2. What guidance is prescribed in the interim for infection control in the following environments?
      1. Emergency medical services (EMS) and fire departments:
      2. Hospice & home health:
      3. Outpatient physical and occupational therapy:
      4. Dentist offices:
      5. Veterinary clinics:
   3. What is the suggested PPE to be used for COVID-19 by healthcare providers?
   4. Is there enough PPE to care for COVID-19 patients?
   5. What strategies are being implemented to optimize PPE supply at the national level?
   6. What strategies are being implemented to optimize PPE supply at facilities?
   7. Share personal experience with PPE optimization.
   8. If you have personal experience with PPE, what is your hospital/clinic/LTC facility doing to maintain the life of your PPE supply?

What is the PPE burn rate calculator

Answer 1

1. Procedure for blood and plasma collection;

• proper hand hygiene should be done ny the health personnel, who are in the covid ward.
• staff should wear the PPE before attending any patients.
• staff should wear face masks or cloth face coverings.
• staff should adhere to standard precautions including sharp handling pocedures.
• non- contact digital thermometer should be there to check the patients.
• proper disposal of the used items should be done and the staff should be careful that after taking blood and other specimens they should not touch anywhere else and should properly label the conatiner and the needles and other things which need to be discarded should be diposed carefully.
• social distancing should be maintained by the staff as well as the aptients who are coming for the checkup.
• during blood collection, they should maintain appropriate distacne.
• The swab which is takken should be placed into a sterile transport tube immediately. This tube should have 2-3 ml viral transport medium.
• before attending patients they should wear a clean gloves.
• grasp the distal end of the handle ,using a gloved hand only.
• after taking of swab from the patient the equipemts hsould be cleaned and the staff ahould do hand washing.
• people who are having symptoms should be tested and should be immediately notified to the hospitals.

2. The recommeded services are;

• close coordination and effective communication between the health care facilities should be there.
• an appropriate medical oversight should be given by the medical director.
• when apatient is suspected of covid 19, prehospital care providers as well as health care facilities should be notified in advacned
• any information about a patient should be informed immediately and all measures to be taken to prevent further spread of infection.
• PPE and face mask should be worn by the EMS personnel.
• All EMS personnel and fire safety workers should be given training regarding the use of PPE and proer discarding after each use.
• hand sanitiser shuld be there so that personnel can wash the hands after every procedure.
• all the vehicles used should be disinfected in order to prevent the spread of infections.

b. HOSPICE & HOME HEALTH;

• training the home care employees
• coomunicating the emergency prepared plan to all
• hand washing and hand sanitising protocols
• disinfecting client homes
• cleaning high touch surfaces and countertops
• wearing PPE
• Limitng client going outside
• isolating those who show symptoms in separte room
• responding quickly to any symptoms

c.dental settings

• priortise the most critical dental services
• proactively commuincate with the patients and the personnel to remian at home if they are sick too.
• contact all patients prior to dental treatment.
• ensure that all patients who are comingfollows the guidlines of covid 19
• asess the patients temperature.
• ask the patient to re-don the face mask after the procedure.
• autoclave and clean the instruments and equioemnts after use
• limit the care to one patient at a time.
• maintan proper ventilation system
• maintain social distancing

c. outpatient;

• use of face mask
• early recongition and isolation of the individuals
• patient placements with appropriaste distance
• wearing of PPE by the health care personnel
• cleaning and disifection of the equipemts used in outpatients

d. veterinary clinics

• advise vet staff to remain home if they have any symptoms
• postpone all non urgent vet visits until the situation becomes normal.
• screen companion animals who are exposed to covid 19 patients.
• proper cleaning and disinfectionm should be done
• use PPE by the vets
• proper hand washing and use of face mask.
• ensure that PPE is done and doffed correctly.

suggested PPE to be used are;

gloves,gown, face shield, N95 mask,shoes, head cap.

e.Since the number of cases have ncreased now there is a shortage of PPE KIT.