Surgical MIC COVID-19 PPE Challenge

The Surgical MIC has just launched its PPE Challenge to protect front line workers from COVID-19 and keep health services functioning.

Surgery and other interventional procedures generate aerosols that put health care workers at particular risk from COVID-19 infection. Viral particles liberated from infected patients are circulated by positive pressure ventilation systems producing a “viral storm”, with particles remaining viable on surfaces for several days. Operations involving laparoscopic surgery, endoscopy, power tools etc. put healthcare workers at particular risk.

There is an urgent need to understand the challenges faced by healthcare workers in protecting themselves against aerosol contamination. Only by adequately protecting front line staff will the health service continue to function.

We are asking our community to respond to the Surgical MedTech Co-operative “PPE Challenge”. We need to know what the real day-to-day challenges are for front line healthcare workers in maintaining PPE, or simple, effective solutions that might be rapidly scaled up. Examples might include impractical “doffing and donning techniques”, communication difficulties when wearing PPE, modified snorkel face masks etc.

We have a team of clinicians and academics on standby to receive your challenges and solutions. Once we receive your entries, this team will prioritise those challenges and solutions that we can get to the frontline during this pandemic. If you are a company and you have technology that could be adapted quickly for the healthcare setting, then we would also like to hear from you.

We will also be updating our website with the challenges we have received. If you work within the NHS and would like to lead on any of the ideas presented, then please contact us on [email protected].

Please share widely - for more information please visit our website - https://surgicalmic.nihr.ac.uk

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Submit your challenge or solution here - https://form.jotform.com/200841607553048