Journal article

Emergency department staff can effectively resuscitate in level C personal protective equipment

Ruwangi Udayasiri, Jonathan Knott, David McD Taylor, Jonathan Papson, Fiona Leow, Fariza A Hassan

EMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA | WILEY | Published : 2007

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: ED staff are expected to perform resuscitation of trauma victims of chemical, biological and radiation incidents while wearing level C personal protective equipment (PPE). The present project assessed the subjective discomfort, physiological impact and performance of staff wearing PPE. METHODS: A paired intervention study of ED staff in a resuscitation scenario comparing task performance wearing gown and gloves with PPE. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire and by objective and subjective measurements. RESULTS: Seven ED doctors and 11 ED nurses were enrolled. Nine had previous PPE training although only one had used PPE clinically. Overall, ED sta..

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University of Melbourne Researchers