Evaluating the national PPE guidance for NHS healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
John P Thomas, Anand Srinivasan, Chandu S Wickramarachchi, Parveen K Dhesi, Yat MA Hung and Ajay V Kamath
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmed.2020-0143
Clin Med May 2020 John P Thomas
ANorfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK
Roles: National Institute for Health Research academic clinical fellow
Anand Srinivasan
BOxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Roles: foundation trainee
Chandu S Wickramarachchi
CHavering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Romford, UK
Roles: senior house officer
Parveen K Dhesi
DNorfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK
Roles: senior house officer
Yat MA Hung
DNorfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK
Roles: senior house officer
Ajay V Kamath
ENorfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK
Roles: consultant respiratory physician
ABSTRACT
Tragically, many of the infections and deaths recorded in the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have occurred in healthcare workers. Some have attributed this to inadequate provision of personal protective equipment (PPE). In the UK, several organisations have voiced their concerns that the national PPE guidance issued by Public Health England is inadequate. Despite recent revisions to these guidelines, concerns remain that they offer insufficient protection to frontline NHS healthcare workers. In this report, we evaluate whether these concerns are merited, through critical appraisal of the available evidence, review of international PPE guidance, and consideration of the ethical implications.
- © Royal College of Physicians 2020. All rights reserved.
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Evaluating the national PPE guidance for NHS healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
John P Thomas, Anand Srinivasan, Chandu S Wickramarachchi, Parveen K Dhesi, Yat MA Hung, Ajay V Kamath
Clinical Medicine May 2020, clinmed.2020-0143; DOI: 10.7861/clinmed.2020-0143
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