Efficacy of SG Shield in reducing droplet contamination during collection of oropharyngeal swab culture specimens.

Introduction: Oropharyngeal swabs for diagnosis of COVID-19 often induce violent coughing, which can disperse infectious droplets onto providers. Incorrectly doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) increases the risk of transmission. A cheap, single-use variation of the face shield invented by a Singaporean team, SG Shield, aims to reduce this risk. This manikin study aimed to study the efficacy of the SG Shield in combination with standard PPE. Methods: A person attired in full PPE whose face and chest was lined with grid paper stood in front of an airway manikin in an enclosed room. A small latex balloon containing ultraviolet fluorescent dye was placed in the oral cavity of the manikin and inflated until explosion to simulate a cough. Three study groups were tested: (a) control (no shield), (b) face shield and (c) SG Shield. The primary outcome was droplet dispersion, determined quantitatively by calculating the proportion of grid paper wall squares stained with fluorescent dye. The secondary outcome was the severity of provider contamination. Results: The SG Shield significantly reduced droplet dispersion to 0% compared to the controls (99.0%, P = 0.001). The face shield also significantly reduced droplet contamination but to a lesser extent (80.0%) compared to the control group (P = 0.001). Although the qualitative severity of droplet contamination was significantly lower in both groups compared to the controls, the face shield group had more contamination of the provider's head and neck. Conclusion: The manikin study showed that the SG Shield significantly reduces droplet dispersion to the swab provider's face and chest.

Perceptions of healthcare workers in high-risk areas of a Singapore hospital during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: There is worldwide concern over the psycho-emotional impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to elicit HCWs' perceptions of the adequacy of protective measures in high-risk clinical areas and the factors associated with these perceptions. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in April 2020. An anonymous electronic survey was sent via email to operating theatre (OT) and intensive care unit (ICU) staff of Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore. Results: Of the 358 eligible participants, 292 (81.6%) responded to the survey. 93.2% of the participants felt that precautionary measures at work were sufficient and 94.9% acknowledged that adequate training was provided. More than 60% of the participants opined that their chances of contracting COVID-19 were moderate to high. Female gender, nursing occupation and duration of service <10 years were significantly associated with increased fear of contracting COVID-19, less control over occupational exposure and lower perceived need to care for COVID-19 patients. Having young children at home did not significantly affect these perceptions. The most important ICU precautions were availability of personal protective equipment outside the rooms of COVID-19 positive patients (95.3%) and having visitor restrictions (95.3%). The most important OT measures were having a dedicated OT for COVID-19 positive patients (91.2%) and having simulation as part of protocol familiarisation (91.7%). Conclusion: Overall, there was high confidence in the adequacy of COVID-19 protective measures to prevent healthcare transmission in Singapore. The pandemic had a lower degree of psycho-emotional impact on HCWs here as compared to other countries.

Anaesthetic Considerations for Rationalizing Drug Use in the Operating Theatre: Strategies in a Singapore Hospital During COVID-19.

COVID-19 patients in the critical care unit tend to have prolonged hospital stay requiring high doses of sedation and paralysis to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome, resulting in a shortage of these drugs. In our hospital, we have instituted strategies to rationalise drug and oxygen usage. This includes prioritising time-sensitive elective cases, reducing overall elective case load, favouring opioid-reduction strategies and usage of alternative anaesthetic agents not commonly used in ICU. Both intensive care physicians and anaesthesiologists have to cooperate on drug conservation as similar drugs are used in elective operating lists as in the ICU. Patient safety is of utmost importance and we should keep in mind some pitfalls and ethical concerns of these alternative strategies.