3) Use of Personal Protective Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a precious resource in major disease outbreaks. As otolaryngologists are at high risk of contact with respiratory droplets or aerosolized upper airway particles, the need for a sustainable and evidence-based PPE usage guideline was of paramount importance.
There is currently no international consensus on the best method of reducing the risk of virus transmission. In our department, the following was implemented at the initial phase of the outbreak:
As the outbreak intensified and medical literature expanded, debates on the type of PPE required grew. In the tenth week of the outbreak, after discussion with Infectious Disease specialists, the department guidelines were modified to: