Personal Protective Equipment

When worn by health care personnel, a face shield was effective at reducing exposure to aerosol particles containing virus from a simulated coughing machine, researchers reported.

Personal protective equipment and other supplies made using 3D printers may be “readily contaminated” with nosocomial pathogens and are best for one-time use, researchers reported.

Personal protective equipment has not been developed for female health care workers and those from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds, leading to potentially lower levels of protective performance for these populations, according to findings published in BMJ Global Health.

New American Academy of Family Physicians President Sterling Ransone, Jr., MD, FAAFP, is focused on making primary care physicians more accessible and paying them “what they're worth.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed problems within U.S. health care systems that would be prudent to address now before another medical crisis surfaces, experts cautioned during a recent webinar hosted by U.S. News & World Report.

“Fear of personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages creating panic ... Hoarding and possible theft of PPE ... adding to crisis.”

The endoscopy suite exposes physicians to many breath droplets and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one study at Digestive Diseases Week showed N95 and KN95 masks provide the most protection from inhaling these droplets.

The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged interventional cardiologists in unexpected ways, including the disruption of all aspects of care and the halting of most transcatheter aortic valve replacements.

Simple additions to standard personal protective equipment can further enhance safety during ophthalmology examinations and cataract surgery.

The FDA recommended that facilities begin to move away from “crisis capacity conservation measures” implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as reusing decontaminated respirators.