![]() ![]() ![]() (5) There are several different types of medical clothing products, including coveralls, footwear covers, full body suits, gloves, independent sleeves, scrubs, surgical gowns, surgical masks, and scrub hats. Medical textiles are used in the manufacturing of personal protective clothing for healthcare or medical applications, specifically to mitigate the risks from exposure to hazardous substances including body fluids and to minimize the risk of cross-infections. Although there have been many advisory publications from various organizations and regulatory bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the NHS in the U.K., and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA about the specification and use of PPE, there remains the unmet need for safer and more effective PPE for HCWs around the world and a clear understanding and knowledge about the regulatory standards for such equipment. (4) Furthermore, PPE needs to be “donned” and “doffed” correctly, and it may be uncomfortable to wear. In addition, ∼63% did not have fluid-repellent face masks due to the current crisis. A recent survey by Nursing Times showed that ∼73% of National Health Services (NHS) nurses were without long-sleeved disposable gowns, eye protection, and FFP3 respirators. In addition, in some cases, the standard of PPE has not been of the required quality for medical uses, thus adding to delay and waste. (3) The supplies of safe and effective protective clothing needed to treat COVID-19 patients have been severely depleted due to the unprecedented global demand. (2) PPE may include aprons, gowns, or coveralls, masks or respirators, and goggles. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is considered to be a critical component that can be used to protect HCWs from droplets from coughs, sneezes, and aerosol-generating procedures, in addition to other contaminated body fluids and surfaces from infected patients. In pandemics of highly infectious diseases such as COVID-19, (1) the risk of healthcare workers (HCWs) being infected is much greater than the general population, as they are in direct contact with patients. Finally, we discuss future research directions, which include increasing efficiency, safety, and availability of personal protective clothing worldwide without conferring environmental problems. We survey the current state-of-the-art antimicrobial functional finishes on fabrics to protect the wearer against viruses and bacteria and provide an overview of protective medical fabric manufacturing techniques, their supply chains, and the environmental impacts of current single-use synthetic fiber-based protective clothing. In this review, we discuss currently used PPE, their quality, and the associated regulatory standards. ![]() Therefore, there remains a clear unmet need for coordinating the actions and efforts from scientists, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, and regulatory bodies to develop and produce safe and effective protective clothing using the technologies that are locally available around the world. In addition, there are only limited manufacturing facilities of such clothing available worldwide, due to a lack of available knowledge about relevant technologies, ineffective supply chains, and stringent regulatory requirements. However, hospitals have been at risk of running out of the safe and effective PPE including personal protective clothing needed to treat patients with COVID-19, due to unprecedented global demand. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical to protect healthcare workers (HCWs) from highly infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |