Abstract
This quality improvement study compares COVID-19 testing throughput, personal protective equipment use, and cost per test before vs after the introduction of high-efficiency particulate air–filtered, positive-pressure Hexapod personal protection booths at a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
Highlights
In March 2020, COVID-19 testing demand and scarce availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) were concerns for Mass General Brigham (MGB) in Boston
A design-thinking approach incorporating observation of nurses, sanitation personnel, and infection control workers at MGB was used for the development of the Hexapods
After implementation of the Hexapods, testing capacity per day scaled, with a mean (SD) daily throughput of 93 (57.6) tests per booth (72% increase) during 311 booth-days and 28 948 tests performed during the evaluation period
Summary
In March 2020, COVID-19 testing demand and scarce availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) were concerns for Mass General Brigham (MGB) in Boston. An in-hospital innovation unit engaged frontline clinicians, designers, and engineers to design a solution for outpatient testing to improve throughput and conserve PPE. The result was a high-efficiency particulate air–filtered, positive-pressure personal protection booth with 6 ergonomic glove ports called a Hexapod. Efficiency was gained by using 3 patient bays, 1 of which was wheelchair accessible, for each individual obtaining swab samples. The final model was in use within 28 days (Figure 1).. Training for new users typically required less than 30 minutes. We assessed the utility of Hexapods for COVID-19 testing.
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