Advice please - PPE's for a patient who is a contact of Covid 19

[haveyourbowelsmoved]

HI ALL,

I am badly looking for advice. I am a nurse in a medical ward. we received a patient who had been screened for COVID 19 in the Hospital they were coming from. We received patient. So patient was a/w test results for COVID 19, we were told as nurses we only needed white plastic apron , gloves and surgical mask to receive this patient. we disagreed and demanded we get the full protective gear. Ambulance crew transferring patient to us were wearing the same. Now patient tested neg for swab.

So for next day all staff were using no precautions. Now we have discovered that she is a contact of a pt who has a confirmed covid 19 case. We are being told monitor her and again being told it is OK to wear a white plastic apron, surgical mask and gloves. Can somebody please please guide me on same. I am trying to find accurate guidelines for exactly what we should be wearing in all types of scenarios. Does anyone know?

[Keli Jones, BSN]

9 minutes ago, MunoRN said:

I should clarify that I'm not suggesting you downgrade your protection if you have the option not to, but if having a higher level of respiratory protection available to care for intubated patients means that it's not available for non-intubated patients, then the clear priority would be to make it available for those caring for positive and coughing patients.

Oh I totally understand and agreeing with your sentiment completely. I was also saying that just because of some of the research supporting lower levels of PPE requirements I had no intention of not using what I've been blessed with not because of your response. I'm totally with you.

I am unsure on the data that supports the need for N95s for coughing patients. From what I have read via the WHO, unlike TB which hangs in the air and is truly airborne, the Covid-19 is primarily spread by droplets and only hangs in the air in certain conditions that increase heat and humidity thus the airborne precautions during procedures and when on a vent. Outside of these parameters the virus is less likely to be airborne.

With so much changing daily it's difficult to feel confident in much of anything. I'm not sure that's truly an organizational fault or the nature of discovering, researching, a d fighting a mystery virus. Regardless,it's some scary sh@t.

[angelberry]

I work at the VA in patient rehab, and we have never been provided with any type of eye protection. Several patients are coughing and sneezing but have not been tested for Covid-19. Because "we have no confirmed cases of Covid-19", we are instructed not to place masks on coughing patients nor to use them ourselves. I share this with you simply to illustrate that we sometimes have to take our protection into our own hands. Bring your own protection if necessary, and clean it properly. It seems we nurses care more about spreading this disease than do facility administrators.