Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T09:42:26.695Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Survey of UK Health Care First Responders’ Knowledge of Personal Protective Equipment Requirements

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2015

Jan Schumacher ,
Alexandra R. Bond ,
Valentine Woodham ,
Anna Buckingham ,
Francesca Garnham  and
Andrea Brinker
Jan Schumacher*
Affiliation:
Department of Anesthesiology, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Alexandra R. Bond
Affiliation:
Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Valentine Woodham
Affiliation:
Department of Anesthesiology, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, London, UK
Anna Buckingham
Affiliation:
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, St Georges Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
Francesca Garnham
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Andrea Brinker
Affiliation:
Department of Anesthesiology, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
*
Correspondence: Jan Schumacher, MD, PhD King’s College London St Thomas’ Campus Department of Anaesthetics Lambeth Palace Rd, London SE1 7EH, UK E-mail: Jan.Schumacher@kcl.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction

An adequate level of personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary when treating patients with highly infectious diseases or those contaminated with hazardous substances.

Methods

Following National Institute for Health Research’s Research Centre (London, United Kingdom) approval, the authors of this study conducted a survey of specialist registrars’ knowledge of the respiratory and skin protection requirements needed during a resuscitation scenario with Advanced Life Support. Participant responses were compared to UK national recommendations and to a previous survey in 2009.

Results

A total of 98 specialist registrars (in Anesthesiology, n=51; in Emergency Medicine (EM), n=21; and in Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) n=26) completed hand-delivered surveys. The best knowledge of PPE requirements (76%) was found for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), with less knowledge about PPE requirements for anthrax, plague, Ebola virus disease (EVD), and smallpox (60%). The results show limited knowledge of PPE requirements (20%-30%) for various chemical warfare agents. Personal protective equipment knowledge regarding treatment of sarin-contaminated casualties was over-rated by 80%, and for patients with EVD, it was over-rated by up to 67% of participants.

Conclusion

The results of the tested cohort indicate that current knowledge regarding PPE for chemical warfare agents remains very limited.

SchumacherJ, BondAR, WoodhamV, BuckinghamA, GarnhamF, BrinkerA. Survey of UK Health Care First Responders’ Knowledge of Personal Protective Equipment Requirements. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(3):15

Keywords

CBRNEbolaPPEresuscitationsarin
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 30 , Supplement 3 , June 2015 , pp. 254 - 258
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa. CDC Web site. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/guinea/. Accessed November 18, 2014.Google Scholar
2. Malich, G, Coupland, R, Donnelly, S, Baker, D. A proposal for field-level medical assistance in an international humanitarian response to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear events. Emerg Med J. 2013;30(10):804-808.Google Scholar
3. Morita, H, Yanagisawa, N, Nakajima, T, et al. Sarin poisoning in Matsumoto, Japan. Lancet. 1995;346(8970):290-293.Google ScholarPubMed
4. Okumura, T, Takasu, N, Ishimatsu, S, et al. Report on 640 victims of the Tokyo subway sarin attack. Ann Emerg Med. 1996;28(2):129-135.Google Scholar
5. Nozaki, H, Hori, S, Shinozawa, Y, et al. Secondary exposure of medical staff to sarin vapor in the emergency room. Intensive Care Med. 1995;21(12):1032-1035.Google Scholar
6. Médecins Sans Frontières UK. Press release 2013. MSF Web site. http://www.msf.org.uk/article/syria-thousands-suffering-neurotoxic-symptoms-treated-hospitals-supported-msf. Accessed November 18, 2014.Google Scholar
7. Brinker, A, Prior, K, Schumacher, J. Personal protection during resuscitation of CBW victims. A survey among medical first receivers in the UK. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2009;24(6):525-528.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Gould, G, Kerr, S, Prophet, N. Preparation for terrorist attacks. Anaesthesia. 2004;59(2):199.Google Scholar
9. NHS England; Emergency Preparedness, Resilience, and Response. http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/eprr/hm/. Accessed November 18, 2014.Google Scholar
10. Baker, DJ. Management of casualties from terrorist chemical and biological attack: a key role for the anaesthetist. Br J Anaesth. 2002;89(2):211-214.Google Scholar
11. de Jong, RH. Nerve gas terrorism: a grim challenge to anesthesiologists. Anesth Analg. 2003;96(3):819-825.Google Scholar
12. Clarke, SF, Chilcott, RP, Wilson, JC, Kamanyire, R, Baker, DJ, Hallett, A. Decontamination of multiple casualties who are chemically contaminated: a challenge for acute hospitals. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2008;23(2):175-181.Google Scholar
13. Health Protection Agency. CBRN Incidents: A Guide to Clinical Management and Health Protection. HPA Web site. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chemical-biological-radiological-and-nuclear-incidents-recognise-and-respond. Accessed November 18, 2014.Google Scholar
14. Health and Safety Executive, UK. http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/. Accessed November 18, 2014.Google Scholar
15. Foege, WH. Should the smallpox virus be allowed to survive? N Engl J Med. 1979;300(12):670-671.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16. Okware, SI, Omaswa, FG, Zaramba, S, et al. An outbreak of Ebola in Uganda. Trop Med Int Health. 2002;7(12):1068-1075.Google Scholar
17. Khan, AS, Tshioko, FK, Heymann, DL, et al. The reemergence of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1995. Commission de Lutte contre les Epidémies à Kikwit. J Infect Dis. 1999;179(Suppl 1):S76-S86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18. Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Zaire, 1976. Bull World Health Organ. 1978;56(2):271-293.Google Scholar
19. World Health Organization. Public health response to biological and chemical weapons. WHO guidance. - Annex 4. Principles of protection, 2004. WHO Web site. http://www.who.int/csr/delibepidemics/biochemguide/en/. Accessed November 18, 2014.Google Scholar
20. World Health Organization. Ebola Virus Disease. 2014. WHO Web site. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/. Accessed November 18, 2014.Google Scholar
21. Wetherell, A, Mathers, G. “Respiratory Protection.” In: Marrs TC, Maynard RL, Sidell FR, (eds). Chemical Warfare Agents – Toxicology and Treatment, 2nd edition. Chichester, England: John Wiley and Sons Ltd; 2007: 157-173.Google Scholar
22. Martyny, J, Glazer, CS, Newman, LS. Respiratory protection. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(11):824-830.Google Scholar
23. Brinker, A, Gray, SA, Schumacher, J. Influence of air-purifying respirators on the simulated first response emergency treatment of CBRN victims. Resuscitation. 2007;74(2):310-316.Google Scholar
24. Schumacher, J, Runte, J, Brinker, A, Prior, K, Heringlake, M, Eichler, W. Respiratory protection during high fidelity simulated resuscitation of casualties contaminated with chemical warfare agents. Anaesthesia. 2008;63(6):593-598.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25. Weinstein, RS, Alibek, K. Biological and Chemical Terrorism. A Guide for Healthcare Providers and First Responders. New York USA: Thieme Medical Publishers; 2003.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Schumacher supplementary material

Schumacher supplementary material 1

Download Schumacher supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 81.3 KB