tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Acute Med Surg
. 2020 Oct 1;10.1002/ams2.584.
doi: 10.1002/ams2.584. Online ahead of print.
Personal Protective Equipment Use by Healthcare Workers in Intensive Care Unit During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Comparative Analysis With the PPE-SAFE Survey
Takeshi Unoki[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mitsuhiro Tamoto[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Akira Ouchi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hideaki Sakuramoto[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Asami Nakayama[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yukiko Katayama[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Satoko Miyazaki[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Toru Yamada[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Shigeki Fujitani[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Osamu Nishida[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Alexis Tabah[SUP] 10 [/SUP], PPE‐SAFE in Japan Project, International Exchange Committee, the Japan Society of Intensive Care Medicine
Affiliations
Abstract
Aim: We investigated personal protective equipment (PPE) use and its shortage, training, and adverse events among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the intensive care unit (ICU) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Japan and compared the results with an international survey that used the same methodology.
Methods: This web-based survey was conducted from April 14 to May 6, 2020, in Japan and included HCWs directly involved in ICU management of COVID-19 patients. A survey invitation was emailed using the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine's mailing list.
Results: We analyzed 460 valid responses from among 976 responses. The N95/FFP2 mask (77%) was most frequently used than in the international study, although half of our respondents reported reuse of single-use N95/FFP2 masks. The median duration (1 hour) of uninterrupted PPE use per shift was less than that in the international study. The commonest PPE-related adverse event was experiencing intense heat (75%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that being a nurse was independently associated with experiencing intense heat.
Conclusion: PPE shortage and frequent mask reuse were prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Intense heat is the most significant symptom, especially for nurses, even with short-duration PPE use. Strategies to protect HCWs from dehydration and intense heat stroke are needed.
Keywords: Healthcare workers; Heat; Intensive care unit; Personal protective equipment; Safety.
. 2020 Oct 1;10.1002/ams2.584.
doi: 10.1002/ams2.584. Online ahead of print.
Personal Protective Equipment Use by Healthcare Workers in Intensive Care Unit During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Comparative Analysis With the PPE-SAFE Survey
Takeshi Unoki[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mitsuhiro Tamoto[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Akira Ouchi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Hideaki Sakuramoto[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Asami Nakayama[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yukiko Katayama[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Satoko Miyazaki[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Toru Yamada[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Shigeki Fujitani[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Osamu Nishida[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Alexis Tabah[SUP] 10 [/SUP], PPE‐SAFE in Japan Project, International Exchange Committee, the Japan Society of Intensive Care Medicine
Affiliations
- PMID: 33042559
- PMCID: PMC7537292
- DOI: 10.1002/ams2.584
Abstract
Aim: We investigated personal protective equipment (PPE) use and its shortage, training, and adverse events among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the intensive care unit (ICU) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Japan and compared the results with an international survey that used the same methodology.
Methods: This web-based survey was conducted from April 14 to May 6, 2020, in Japan and included HCWs directly involved in ICU management of COVID-19 patients. A survey invitation was emailed using the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine's mailing list.
Results: We analyzed 460 valid responses from among 976 responses. The N95/FFP2 mask (77%) was most frequently used than in the international study, although half of our respondents reported reuse of single-use N95/FFP2 masks. The median duration (1 hour) of uninterrupted PPE use per shift was less than that in the international study. The commonest PPE-related adverse event was experiencing intense heat (75%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that being a nurse was independently associated with experiencing intense heat.
Conclusion: PPE shortage and frequent mask reuse were prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Intense heat is the most significant symptom, especially for nurses, even with short-duration PPE use. Strategies to protect HCWs from dehydration and intense heat stroke are needed.
Keywords: Healthcare workers; Heat; Intensive care unit; Personal protective equipment; Safety.