INTRODUCTION
The coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) pandemic has touched almost every continent. The transmission
can be reduced through exposure control by means of engineering,
administrative, and environmental controls.(1) Personal protective
equipment (PPE) is the final line of protection of healthcare workers
(HCW) especially in the community transmission phase of the COVID-19
pandemic.
The key to a public health emergency response lies in the abundance of
reserves, proper allocation of emergency medical supplies and rapid
distribution.(2) Some countries have a national medical stockpile of key
reserves of essential medications and equipment like PPE.(2) While this
is an indispensable element of public health emergency response, when
the system is tested, this has been found to be lacking. This was seen
during the H1N1, SARS-CoV-1, and now the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. There is a
global shortage of PPE for HCW, resulting in transmission of the
disease, reducing the available frontline HCWs who care for these
patients, resulting in the transmission of disease to their families and
communities, as well as resulting in HCW mortality.
While financial considerations, PPE supply, and logistics are important,
healthcare systems also have occupational health and safety obligations
to their HCWs and reassurance that they are using the highest level of
protection and not putting themselves, their families or colleagues at
risk.(3)
Currently, there is variation as well as controversy of infection
control recommendation with regards to the use of PPE for HCW between
institutions (table 1).(4-11) The aim of this narrative review is to of
examine and summarise the available evidence to guide recommendation for
the safety of HCW in the current pandemic.