Healthcare Hygiene magazine July 2020 | Page 6
from the editor
healthcarehygienemagazine
Survey Confirms the
Resourcefulness of Healthcare
Facilities During a Crisis
Unprecedented times call for extraordinary measures. That’s the conclusion of a
study examining healthcare epidemiologists’ responses to the challenges presented
by limited supplies and emerging evidence during the COVID-19 pandemic. These
professionals – as well as infection preventionists, no doubt — have used resourceful
strategies to safeguard healthcare personnel and patients.
As study author Michael J. Calderwood, MD, MPH, a hospital epidemiologist at
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire, notes, “Healthcare facilities
managed in extraordinary circumstances to stretch the use of personal protective
equipment outside of normal standards to optimize the use of an unpredictable supply.
Many facilities have had to get creative — taking steps like self-producing PPE and
test materials and reprocessing respirators — to mitigate risk and maximize safety for
patients and healthcare providers.”
In April 2020, the SHEA Research Network collected survey responses from healthcare
epidemiologists at 69 healthcare facilities, including 58 from the U.S. and Canada, and
11 located internationally. These findings provide a ‘point-in-time’ snapshot of the
experiences hospitals and healthcare personnel have faced in the fight against COVID-19.
The survey found that numerous facilities were feeling shortages, with 40 percent
reporting their supply of respirators was either “limited” or at “crisis level.” In response,
68 percent of surveyed facilities reported using one or more strategies to extend
the supply of respirators; the most frequently cited strategy was to have healthcare
providers in certain units reuse the same respirator for an entire day, and the majority
of institutions were practicing some form of extended use or reuse of respirators. Many
facilities also turned to reprocessing PPE. The survey also found that some surveyed
facilities were ‘self-producing’ PPE, such as face shields and gowns, due to shortages. A
quarter of facilities were self-producing testing components, such as swabs, transport
media, and collection tubes.
“Time and energy spent creating new approaches to address shortages of basic
supplies takes resources away from addressing critical health issues,” said Mary Hayden,
MD, president-elect of SHEA. “We’re learning about this virus. With reopening efforts
underway, healthcare facilities need more predictable inventories of personal protective
equipment and testing supplies. We can’t be put in a shortage situation, especially as
non-healthcare demands for these supplies will be increasing.”
Calderwood, et al. (2020) say that the COVID-19 pandemic has compelled institutions
to take rapid, practical actions for healthcare personnel and patient safety. They add that
research is needed to assess further the safety and efficacy of these innovative strategies,
and approaches must be identified to strengthen facilities and their communities to
protect against shortages of critical healthcare supplies, prepare for potential new waves
of COVID-19 cases, and be ready for future outbreaks of emerging pathogens.
Until next month, bust those bugs!
Kelly M. Pyrek
Editor & Publisher
[email protected]
Kelly M. Pyrek
editor & publisher
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Reference: Calderwood MS, et al. Policies and Practices of SHEA Research Network Hospitals During the
COVID-19 Pandemic. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. Web: June 23, 2020.
6 july 2020 • www.healthcarehygienemagazine.com