American Frontline Healthcare Personnel's Access to and Use of Personal Protective Equipment Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To quantify adequacy of personal protective equipment (PPE) for U.S. healthcare personnel (HCP) at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with infection risk.

METHODS:

March-May 2020 survey of the national Nurses' Health Studies and the Growing Up Today study regarding self-reported PPE access, use, and reuse. COVID-19 endpoints included SARS-CoV-2 tests and COVID-19 status predicted from symptoms.

RESULTS:

Nearly 22% of 22,232 frontline HCP interacting with COVID-19 patients reported sometimes or always lacking PPE. Fifty percent of HCP reported not needing respirators, including 13% of those working in COVID-19 units. Lack of PPE was cross-sectionally associated with two-fold or greater odds of COVID-19 among those who interacted with infected patients.

CONCLUSION:

These data show the need to improve the U.S. infection prevention culture of safety when confronting a novel pathogen.

• Authors: Janet W Rich-Edwards, Ming Ding, Carissa M Rocheleau, James M Boiano, Jae H Kang, Iris Becene, Long H Nguyen, Andrew T Chan, Jaime E Hart, Jorge E Chavarro, Christina C Lawson
• Journal: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine (J Occup Environ Med) Vol. 63 Issue 11 Pg. 913-920 (11 01 2021) ISSN: 1536-5948 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 34238908 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Topics

• COVID-19
• Health Personnel
• Health Services Accessibility
• Humans
• Pandemics
• Personal Protective Equipment
• SARS-CoV-2
• United States (epidemiology)