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David Phillips, Marketing Manager, Hänel Storage Systems. “The lack of adequate PPE supplies caused anxiety, insecurity and fear of infection. PPE was in such short supply that nurses would often develop home- made solutions to protect themselves. So many supplies had to be immediately dis- carded at the start of the pandemic because they had been expired by several months when they were needed most.” Phillips suggests implementing central-
ization and automation within inventory management systems to help improve access to supplies and workspace. “Centralizing PPE supplies will take those items out of the various depart- ments in which they’re currently located, which will free up much-needed space in those areas. A Hänel Rotomat automated carousel, specifically designated for critical supply, can act as an ‘automated PPE czar’ to the provision of supplies for each area as needed. This ensures the efficient use of PPE stockpiles, tracked by expiration dates, so the next health crisis won’t catch hospitals shorthanded as they were at the start of COVID-19.”
Face masks, in particular, are a high prior-
ity for staff protection and infection control in hospitals and other environments. fficials at the Henry ord Health System cited, “A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine from researchers at Henry Ford Health System has found that Henry Ford’s early implementation of a universal mask policy in the COVID-19 pandemic was strongly associated with reducing the risk of health- care workers at Henry Ford acquiring COVID-19.”
The system added, “Healthcare workers have a threefold increased risk of reporting testing positive for SARS-CoV-2…com- pared to the general population, according to a study published in Lancet Public Health. As of March 22, 2021, the Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported more than 450,000 SARS-CoV-2 infections among healthcare workers in the U.S. since the onset of the pandemic, and nearly 1,500 COVID-19 related deaths among healthcare workers.”4 Personnel in facilities, such as Baptist Medical Center, learned to change their practices around PPE as COVID-19 sur- faced, notes Thigpen.
“When COVID-19 first reached San Antonio, some staff were hesitant to adjust long-held protocols, especially around the extended use of PPE,” Thigpen expressed. “Throughout all of our nursing careers, we had been trained that some items were single-use or were to be used only so many times, or that one item was not a substitute
for another. Suddenly, we were being told to wear the same N95 mask for multiple shifts when for years we had been rigidly told to change any PPE between patients. We were also told that doing so would be okay and would maintain the same amount of protection.”
The facility’s communication and guid- ance about the disease and prevention helped ease mindsets and develop new behaviors among the workforce, adds Thigpen.
“We needed to mitigate staff concerns about changing standards and potential shortages for PPE and then shore up their confidence as much as possible with good information and clear communication,” she stressed. “As more information became available in the form of manufacturers’ rec- ommendations, official updates and infec- tious disease data, we were able to focus our COVID-19 staff education on what was working in other parts of the country. Attitudes began to shift, and we achieved greater buy-in and support from staff.” As availability of disposable face masks
may shift at times, some hospitals and providers have opted for other types of face protection supplies that can be disinfected and reused, indicates Jon Imms, Global Technical & Product Director, CleanSpace Technology.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has high- lighted the global challenges for the supply of disposable N95 masks and the widespread issues for poorly fitted and uncomfortable masks,” Imms stated. “The issue of comfort has been illustrated in reports of staff complaining of moisture on the face, heat stress, fogging of eyewear and deep marks on the face at the end of a shift. Being uncomfortable, disposable masks also lead to low compliance. With active airflow, leanSpace H offers a high level of protection, provides cool, fresh air on the face, eliminates fogging of eye wear, and the clear transparent masks allow for easy communication.”
Care, supply collaboration While hospital and healthcare staff have experienced many challenges during the pandemic, they also have achieved several successes through partnership with their teams, supply chain and facilities. Take, for instance, the collaboration between Baptist Medical Center’s ICU and Central Supply department. Together, they made strides in efficiencies in care and sup- ply management. “When I became director during our peak last summer, we did not have a handle on supplies and, basically, it was purely crisis control,” Thigpen described. “Hav-
18 May 2021 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
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ing a good working relationship with our facility’s Central Supply and developing an initial game plan got us started and maintained supplies funneling into our 56 COVID-19 ICU beds that were scat- tered over five areas. ur entral Supply staff and management were amazing; they established a designated rack in the Central Supply department, from which we restocked our daily supply needs and essentials. We adjusted the baseline stock- ing levels that Central Supply used for reor- dering several times over to accommodate the increased amount of tubing, flushes, needles, lab supplies, etc., required to take care of the massive consumption required by COVID-19 patients.” She continued, “Our most amazing suc-
cess was the reconfiguration of the post anesthesia care unit we took over. The PACU supply closet was tiny and too far removed from the bays that we had con- verted to ICU beds. We set up placards and racks in the very front of the entry, which were filled with item lists generated by I staff, were physically arranged by ICU staff and allowed easy, open and immediate access. Staff could also easily create lists for Central Supply to restock based on this open format, which was a necessity as there was not a room large enough to hold what the ICU required.” a rie points to Supply hain and urs- ing partnering to improve medical supplies and pathogen control in a hospital system. “At one 15+ hospital system, the Cardinal Health Sales team collaborated with key members of the Supply Chain and Critical Care Nursing teams to help them stan- dardize to Kendall Disposable Cables and ead ires, a rie indicated. The Sup- ply Chain team was thrilled to learn that switching to endall D could help them eliminate more than 20 types of lead wires used across the system by standardizing to one SKU. Both groups of stakeholders were aligned and motivated by the fact that this clinically proven product helps reduce the risk of cross contamination (according to the American Journal of Infection Control).” Imms highlights another health system’s work to protect staff from infection spread through new PPE.
“Parkview Health is a US Health system serving a population of more than 895,000,” Imms described. “Parkview has more than 13,000 employees, nine hospitals and a network of primary care and speciality physicians. Alyssia Mickem, Safety Super- visor for Parkview Allen County, said they chose CleanSpace Respirators as their respirator of choice during the COVID-19 pandemic, because ‘Safety is Parkview’s highest priority with their employees, with
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