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Lessons From Other Disciplines About Communication, Human Performance and Situational Awareness While Wearing Personal Protective Equipment

Scott, Margaret and Unsworth, John (2020) Lessons From Other Disciplines About Communication, Human Performance and Situational Awareness While Wearing Personal Protective Equipment. SAGE Open Nursing, 6. ISSN 2377-9608

Item Type: Article

Abstract

Introduction: The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19) has quickly accelerated into a pandemic. As COVID-19 has swept across the globe, health systems have adapted, including the cessation of routine surgery and the re-deployment of staff to critical care settings. Prompt interventions such as endotracheal (ET) intubation, are deemed essential in patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Intubation requires a coordinated approach and effective teamwork, as it is a high-risk procedure not least because it is an aerosol-generating intervention with increased infection risk. As a result, teams responsible for performing ET intubation are required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which in turn hinders communication and situational awareness, and can hamper team work. Method: This review considers the effects of wearing PPE on performance and situational awareness in a healthcare environment. Drawing on literature from the fire service and military, the review will explore approaches to improving communication and situational awareness for teams who, at times, are unfamiliar with one another. The review will consider human factors and, identify approaches that assist teams, including teams that are unfamiliar with one another, to adapt to new ways of working while performing high-risk procedures. Conclusion: Literature indicates that standardisation, pre-brief and training are important elements of developing improved situational awareness and team working in individuals whose senses may be affected by PPE. In addition, checklists provide a useful way of standardising procedures and can form the basis of a structured pre-brief. Checklists exist for both intubation and patient proning, which, alongside simulation-based team training, provide a useful method of preparing an often unfamiliar workforce for their roles during an epidemic or pandemic. The multi-phase nature of most pandemics provides an opportunity to review processes and implement such procedures, and to develop staff using team-based training during the post-peak period.

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Additional Information: ** Embargo end date: 14-10-2020 ** From SAGE Publishing via Jisc Publications Router ** History: received 12-06-2020; rev-recd 02-08-2020; accepted 13-09-2020; epub 14-10-2020. ** Licence for this article starting on 14-10-2020: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Uncontrolled Keywords: COVID-19: On the Frontlines, infectious disease, personal protective equipment, communication, team work, situational awareness
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Identifiers

Item ID: 12693
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960820963766
ISSN: 2377-9608
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/12693
Official URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2377...

Users with ORCIDS

ORCID for Margaret Scott: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8617-2660
ORCID for John Unsworth: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4150-6513

Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 26 Oct 2020 17:34
Last Modified: 26 Oct 2020 17:45

Contributors

Author: Margaret Scott ORCID iD
Author: John Unsworth ORCID iD

University Divisions

Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT)

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