scholarly journals Critical Guidelines for Health Care Workers Who Deploy to West Africa for the Ebola Response

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-187
Author(s):  
Viroj Wiwanitkit
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Care Workers

Physiological Evaluation of Cooling Devices in Conjunction With Personal Protective Ensembles Recommended for Use in West Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 573-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Quinn ◽  
Jung-Hyun Kim ◽  
Amanda Strauch ◽  
Tianzhou Wu ◽  
Jeffery Powell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Subjective Responses ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Cooling Devices ◽  
Subjective Measurements ◽  
Physiological Evaluation ◽  
Stabilization Period

AbstractObjectiveCooling devices (CDs) worn under personal protective equipment (PPE) can alleviate some of the heat stress faced by health care workers responding to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.MethodsSix healthy, young individuals were tested while wearing 4 different CDs or no cooling (control) under PPE in an environmental chamber (32°C/92% relative humidity) while walking (3 METs, 2.5 mph, 0% grade) on a treadmill for 60 minutes. Exercise was preceded by a 15-minute stabilization period and a 15-minute donning period.ResultsThe control condition resulted in a significantly higher rectal temperature (Tre) at the end of the exercise than did all CD conditions (CD1,P=0.004; CD2,P=0.01; CD3,P=0.000; CD4,P=0.000) with CD1 and CD2 resulting in a higher Trethan CD3 and CD4 (P<0.05). The control condition resulted in a higher heart rate (HR) at the end of exercise than did the CD3 (P=0.01) and CD4 (P=0.009) conditions, whereas the HR of the CD1 and CD2 conditions was higher than that of the CD3 and CD4 conditions (P<0.05). Weight loss in the control condition was higher than in the CD3 (P=0.003) and CD4 (P=0.01) conditions. Significant differences in subjective measurements of thermal stress were found across conditions and time.ConclusionsUse of CDs can be advantageous in decreasing the negative physiological and subjective responses to the heat stress encountered by health care workers wearing PPE in hot and humid environments. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:573–579)

Baseline Evaluation With a Sweating Thermal Manikin of Personal Protective Ensembles Recommended for Use in West Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 536-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aitor Coca ◽  
Travis DiLeo ◽  
Jung-Hyun Kim ◽  
Raymond Roberge ◽  
Ronald Shaffer
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Core Temperature ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
World Health ◽  
Thermal Manikin ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Sweating Thermal Manikin

AbstractObjectiveExperience with the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) ensembles by health care workers responding to the Ebola outbreak in the hot, humid conditions of West Africa has prompted reports of significant issues with heat stress that has resulted in shortened work periods.MethodsA sweating thermal manikin was used to ascertain the time to achievement of a critical core temperature of 39°C while wearing 4 different PPE ensembles similar to those recommended by the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) at 2 different ambient conditions (32°C/92% relative humidity and 26°C/80% relative humidity) compared with a control ensemble.ResultsPPE ensembles that utilized coveralls with moderate to high degrees of impermeability attained the critical core temperature in significantly shorter times than did other ensembles. Encapsulation of the head and neck region resulted in higher model-predicted subjective impressions of heat sensation.ConclusionsTo maximize work capacity and to protect health care workers in the challenging ambient conditions of West Africa, consideration should be given to adjustment of work and rest schedules, improvement of PPE (e.g., using less impermeable and more breathable fabrics that provide the same protection), and the possible use of cooling devices worn simultaneously with PPE. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:536–542)

Academic Institutions’ Critical Guidelines for Health Care Workers Who Deploy to West Africa for the Ebola Response and Future Crises

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 586-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilarie Cranmer ◽  
Miriam Aschkenasy ◽  
Ryan Wildes ◽  
Stephanie Kayden ◽  
David Bangsberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Health Care Infrastructure ◽  
And Control

AbstractThe unprecedented Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa, with its first cases documented in March 2014, has claimed the lives of thousands of people, and it has devastated the health care infrastructure and workforce in affected countries. Throughout this outbreak, there has been a critical lack of health care workers (HCW), including physicians, nurses, and other essential non-clinical staff, who have been needed, in most of the affected countries, to support the medical response to EVD, to attend to the health care needs of the population overall, and to be trained effectively in infection protection and control. This lack of sufficient and qualified HCW is due in large part to three factors: 1) limited HCW staff prior to the outbreak, 2) disproportionate illness and death among HCWs caused by EVD directly, and 3) valid concerns about personal safety among international HCWs who are considering responding to the affected areas. These guidelines are meant to inform institutions who deploy professional HCWs. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:586–590)

Organizational Factors and Health Care Workers' Physical Safety

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Lipscomb ◽  
Jeanne Geiger-Brown ◽  
Katherine McPhaul ◽  
Karen Calabro
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Care Workers

Workplace verbal abuse and risk of occupational injury among health care workers

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika L. Sabbath ◽  
Cassandra Okechukwu ◽  
David Hurtado ◽  
Glorian Sorensen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Occupational Injury ◽  
Verbal Abuse ◽  
Care Workers
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