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- Page navigation anchor for RE: Thank you, Dr. YanRE: Thank you, Dr. Yan
We thank our colleague Allison Yan for her helpful letter and are pleased she has found our protocol both useful and practical. Indeed, the protocol described in our article was developed in the very early months of the pandemic, in the spring of 2020. At that time, high emphasis was placed on the possibility of fomite transmission and droplet transmission (vs. aerosol transmission) of Covid-19, and our original protocol reflected this. Both of these premises, however, have been called into question as the pandemic has evolved. Fomite transmission has been de-emphasized[1][2], and many authors have theorized that airborne transmission via aerosol is more common than originally thought. [3][4]This has implications for both the procedures in the protocol and the type of PPE needing to be worn. In light of this, we have revised our protocol (see Table linked in article).
Brian Kerley, Lana Tan, Denise Marshall, Cindy O’Neill, Anne Bialachowski and José Pereira
...Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared. - Page navigation anchor for RE: In Support of the COVID-19 Home PPE ProtocolRE: In Support of the COVID-19 Home PPE Protocol
I was extremely impressed by the protocol for donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) in the home setting as described by Kerley and colleagues. While the robust PPE in home settings protocol fills an urgent need in the authors’ community of Southern Ontario, it has far-reaching applications to home healthcare settings throughout the world.
As a current medical student, my clinical experiences have been limited to either the hospital or outpatient clinic setting. As such, ready access to PPE equipment and proper PPE disposal can be often taken for granted. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was able to easily discard gowns, gloves, and N95 masks between every patient while working in various inpatient and outpatient locations. However, careful review of Kerley et al.’s step-by-step protocol clearly outlines unique challenges pertaining to care of patients with respiratory illnesses in a home environment. As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has reduced available hospital bed space and healthcare-related resources, home visits provide the opportunity to care for patients outside of a formal clinical setting. This PPE protocol provides an avenue to ensure that home visits are conducted as safely and efficiently as possible.
It is my understanding that this protocol was developed in spring and summer 2020, and made public in July 2020, before more information about the transmission and infectiousness of coronavirus was fully known. I wo...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.