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Analysis

The efficacy of PPE for COVID-19-type respiratory illnesses in primary and community care staff

Kamlesh Khunti, Anil Adisesh, Christopher Burton, Xin Hui S Chan, Briana Coles, Quentin Durand-Moreau, Tanya Jackson, Lawrence Ross, Sebastian Straube, Elaine Toomey and Trisha Greenhalgh
British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70 (697): 413-416. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp20X710969
Kamlesh Khunti
Diabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, UK.
Roles: Professor of Primary Care Diabetes & Vascular Medicine
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Anil Adisesh
Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto and St Michael’s Hospital, Canada.
Roles: Division Director
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Christopher Burton
Academic Unit of Primary Medical Care, University of Sheffield, UK.
Roles: Professor of Primary Medical Care
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Xin Hui S Chan
Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, UK.
Roles: Clinical Research Fellow
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Briana Coles
Diabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, UK.
Roles: Statistician/Epidemiologist
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Quentin Durand-Moreau
Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada.
Roles: Assistant Professor
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Tanya Jackson
Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada.
Roles: Research Associate
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Lawrence Ross
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles; Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, US.
Roles: Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics
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Sebastian Straube
Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada.
Roles: Professor and Division Director
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Elaine Toomey
School of Allied Health, University of Limerick, Ireland.
Roles: Lecturer
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Trisha Greenhalgh
Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, UK.
Roles: Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences
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BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is now a pandemic with devastating implications for populations, healthcare systems, and economies globally. Many healthcare workers (HCWs), including those in primary and community care settings, may be at increased risk of COVID-19 infection.1 COVID-19 is known to have three modes of transmission: contact (direct or via a fomite, that is, a contaminated surface or object), droplets (from the respiratory tract of an infected individual during coughing or sneezing transmitted onto a mucosal surface or conjunctiva of a susceptible individual), and aerosols (microbes within droplets that remain suspended in air for long periods).2,3 Personal protective equipment (PPE) reduces the transference of droplets or other body fluids onto HCWs’ skin and clothing or directly onto the mucous membranes of the eye or nasopharynx. PPE can also include respiratory protective equipment to protect against aerosol inhalation. Concerns have, however, been raised about PPE provision for preventing COVID-19 in primary and community care staff.4 This is a particularly pressing concern given the anxiety and stress of working in conditions that may pose a threat to health and which can negatively impact the productivity and care provided by HCWs.5 In this article we present findings from rapid reviews conducted regarding PPE for frontline primary care and community care staff, and what circumstances may potentially put HCWs at risk of contagion.

CURRENT GUIDANCE

Most guidance on PPE appears skewed to secondary care settings (emergency department or inpatient) and focuses mainly on ‘high-risk’ scenarios, for which full aerosol, droplet, and contact PPE (that is, disposable gloves, gown, eye protection, and respirator masks) are recommended. The highest number of contacts in many healthcare settings, however, will be within primary and community environments, including not just general practices but …

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British Journal of General Practice: 70 (697)
British Journal of General Practice
Vol. 70, Issue 697
August 2020
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The efficacy of PPE for COVID-19-type respiratory illnesses in primary and community care staff
Kamlesh Khunti, Anil Adisesh, Christopher Burton, Xin Hui S Chan, Briana Coles, Quentin Durand-Moreau, Tanya Jackson, Lawrence Ross, Sebastian Straube, Elaine Toomey, Trisha Greenhalgh
British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70 (697): 413-416. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp20X710969

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The efficacy of PPE for COVID-19-type respiratory illnesses in primary and community care staff
Kamlesh Khunti, Anil Adisesh, Christopher Burton, Xin Hui S Chan, Briana Coles, Quentin Durand-Moreau, Tanya Jackson, Lawrence Ross, Sebastian Straube, Elaine Toomey, Trisha Greenhalgh
British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70 (697): 413-416. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp20X710969
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More in this TOC Section

  • Focused action is required to protect ethnic minority populations from COVID-19 post-lockdown
  • The multimorbidity dead end: how we got here and possible ways out
  • Digital health in primary care: risks and recommendations
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