COVID-19 Solutions Are Climate Solutions: Lessons From Reusable Gowns.
Front Public Health
; 8: 590275, 2020.
Artículo
en Inglés
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-983747
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the inadequacy of the U.S. healthcare system to deliver timely and resilient care. According to the American Hospital Association, the pandemic has created a $202 billion loss across the healthcare industry, forcing health care systems to lay off workers and making hospitals scramble to minimize supply chain costs. However, as the demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) grows, hospitals have sacrificed sustainable solutions for disposable options that, although convenient, will exacerbate supply strains, financial burden, and waste. We advocate for reusable gowns as a means to lower health care costs, address climate change, and improve resilience while preserving the safety of health care workers. Reusable gowns' polyester material provides comparable capacity to reduce microbial cross-transmission and liquid penetration. In addition, previous hospitals have reported a 50% cost reduction in gown expenditures after adopting reusable gowns; given the current 2000% price increase in isolation gowns during COVID-19, reusable gown use will build both healthcare resilience and security from price fluctuations. Finally, with the United States' medical waste stream worsening, reusable isolation gowns show promising reductions in energy and water use, solid waste, and carbon footprint. The gowns are shown to withstand laundering 75-100 times in contrast to the single-use disposable gown. The circumstances of the pandemic forewarn the need to shift our single-use PPE practices to standardized reusable applications. Ultimately, sustainable forms of protective equipment can help us prepare for future crises that challenge the resilience of the healthcare system.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
Disponible
Colección:
Bases de datos internacionales
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Ropa de Protección
/
Control de Infecciones
/
Personal de Salud
/
Equipo Reutilizado
/
Equipos Desechables
/
Pandemias
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudio:
Ensayo controlado aleatorizado
Límite:
Adulto
/
Femenino
/
Humanos
/
Masculino
/
Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
America del Norte
Idioma:
Inglés
Revista:
Front Public Health
Año:
2020
Tipo del documento:
Artículo
País de afiliación:
Fpubh.2020.590275
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