Medical Staff Using Face Shields Besides Mask As Protective Gear

Pimpri, October 13, 2020: Many doctors and other medical staff are heavily relying on face shields, timely sanitization, face masks and hygiene as proactive gear because working for hours in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits is very inconvenient.

In the civic-run Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH), some nurses working in the isolation wards are working while only wearing masks and gloves and tending to COVID-19 patients. This move is not due to the negligence towards COVID-19 safety guidelines but because of the inconvenience caused due to the PPE kits.

The nurses said that working for seven hours while wearing a PPE kit is a very difficult task and one sweats profusely while working in a PPE kit. “It becomes very difficult to perform our duties for longer durations while wearing a PPE kit”, said the nurses working in isolation wards.

This concern is not only limited to the nurses but also the doctors working in the isolation wards. Even they prefer to work in masks/face shields and gloves over a PPE kit while tending to COVID-19 patients.

Dr Aniket Lathi, working in the plasma therapy team of the YCMH said, “While working in isolation wards, an N-95 mask, face shield and good hand hygiene can effectively keep the Coronavirus from spreading. There is no need to always wear a PPE kit while working.”
Dr Lathi also said that it is compulsory to wear masks while working in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs). It is perfectly fine to wear masks and face shields while working in other wards. “Even hand gloves aren’t very effective and can if not handled properly can transmit the virus easily. Hence, effective and timely hand hygiene is the best alternative if you aren’t wearing gloves”, informed Dr Lathi.

Even the Central Government of India has issued guidelines on the situations where a PPE kit is a must and where masks and face shields will comply.

With the usage of PPE kits, proper training is also necessary. If the medical staff does not adhere to the strict procedure while wearing and removing the protective gear, the chances of virus transmission increase drastically.

Many doctors from other hospitals like Government District Hospital, Aundh, Lokmanya Hospital and Ruby Hall Clinic said that doctors and medical staff should wear PPE kits while handing COVID-19 patients closely as it gives protection against droplets while at other times face masks and shields can be worn. Also, they have warned that valved masks should not be used as they are dangerous.

Bluemark Promotions have come up with ‘SmartGuards’. The CEO Yash Lunavat said, “Currently, there are two types of face shields in the market. One is designed by the helmet companies which are heavy and thus, inconvenient to wear all day. The other is made up of plastic which cannot be used in all environments as it is made up of plastic and is fragile. Therefore, we have come up with SmartGuards. It is made up of a solid material which is not too heavy and can be worn for longer durations and in all types of environment. The material provides resistance from droplets thus keeping the risk of the spread of the COVID-19 infection at bay.”

Dr Sushrut Ganpule from the Jupiter Hospital said that people must keep in mind that disposable face shields and masks should only be worn once and then discarded properly while reusable face masks and shields must be disinfected and cleaned after each use.

Follow and connect with us on WhatsApp Facebook Twitter Linkedin YouTube Instagram