The unintended burden of transmission-based precautions for suspected COVID-19 in the ambulatory setting
Rebecca A. Stern, Katherine Bashaw, Claude E. Shackelford, Thomas R. Talbot
TL;DR
This study examines how using PPE for suspected COVID-19 in clinics affects workflow, finding it adds time, waste, and cost with limited benefit.
Contribution
The study provides empirical evidence on the operational impact of PPE use in low-incidence ambulatory settings for suspected COVID-19.
Findings
PPE use increased time, waste, and cost in clinics during a low incidence period of illness.
Limited data on contact transmission and operational barriers suggest current PPE guidance may need revision.
Workflow disruptions were observed despite low likelihood of transmission in the ambulatory setting.
Abstract
An observational pilot in walk-in clinics assessed workflow impacts of personal protective equipment (PPE) use for COVID-19 cases. PPE added time, waste, and cost despite a low incidence period of illness. Limited supporting data for contact transmission and operational barriers suggest ambulatory PPE guidance for COVID-19 warrants modification.
Genes, proteins, chemicals, diseases, species, mutations and cell lines named across the full text — each resolved to its canonical identifier and authoritative record.
Click any figure to enlarge with its caption.
Figure 1
Figure 2Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsInfection Control and Ventilation · COVID-19 and Mental Health · COVID-19 epidemiological studies