RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Bundled interventions for consumption management and monitoring of personal protective equipment in COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong local hospitals
JF BMJ Open Quality
JO BMJ Open Qual
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e000990
DO 10.1136/bmjoq-2020-000990
VO 9
IS 4
A1 Wai-Man Kwan
A1 Chun-Keung Mok
A1 Yick-Ting Kwok
A1 Hon-Wai Lam
A1 Kwan-Ho Chan
A1 Tat-Hong Samuel Law
A1 Pik-Man Leung
A1 Man-Yu Mak
A1 Tak-Lun Que
A1 Yiu-Hang Tang
YR 2020
UL http://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/9/4/e000990.abstract
AB Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019, there had been global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) supply due to the breakage of supply chain and also the forbidding of PPE exported by various countries. This situation had greatly affected the healthcare services in local hospitals of Hong Kong. To maintain the availability of PPE for healthcare workers in high-risk clinical settings, the cluster management of New Territories West Cluster, Hospital Authority, had implemented a bundle of interventions in controlling and managing the PPE consumption and ensuring its proper use. A Taskforce on Management of PPE was set up in February 2020 with the aim to monitor and manage the use of PPE in five local hospitals and eight general outpatient clinics of New Territories West Cluster, which were governed in a cluster basis, under the COVID-19 epidemic. Interventions including cutting down non-essential services, implementing telecare, monitoring PPE consumption at unit level and PPE stock at the Cluster Central Distribution Centre and forming mobile infection teams were implemented. The updated PPE standards and usage guidelines to clinical staff were promulgated through forums, newsletters and unit visits. The PPE consumption rates of individual unit were reviewed. Significant decrease in PPE consumption rates was noted when comparing with the baseline data. Comparing the data between 20 February and 1 June 2020, the overall PPE consumption rates were reduced by 64% (r=−0.841; p<0.001) while the PPE consumption rates in anaesthesia and operating theatres, and isolation and surveillance wards were reduced by 47% (r=−0.506; p=0.023) and 49% (r=−0.810; p<0.001), respectively. A bundled approach, including both administrative measures and staff education, is effective in managing PPE consumption during major infection outbreaks especially when PPE supply is at risk.