Personal Protective Equipment Management Research Articles

Associations between Recognition and Behaviors Regarding the Use, Washing and Management of Firefighting Protection Suits and Public Health Awareness of Occupational Exposure Risks among Firefighters

The firefighting protective suits (FPSs) of firefighters at fire scenes affect their health and safety. However, the association between firefighters’ health awareness of occupational exposure risks and the FPS use, washing and management remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association between firefighters’ health awareness of occupational exposure risks and their recognition, behaviors regarding the use, washing and management of FPSs. This study design is a cross-sectional study and used a web-based survey of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s electronic survey system. The survey was conducted on metropolitan firefighters performing shift work in charge of fire and rescue work for 21 days from 1 to 22 April 2019, with 1097 (40.3%) respondents. Characteristics of FPS use, washing and management and the association between thoughts and behaviors thereof and health awareness of occupational exposure risks were evaluated. Data of 1097 firefighters were analyzed using the SAS 9.4 statistical package, chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. Firefighters’ fire scene awareness rate of possible carcinogens was 94.4%. There was an association between public health thinking of occupational exposure risks and the correct use of an FPS for one’s own safety (AOR 1.97. 95% CI 1.02–3.80). However, no association was shown between correct FPS use (AOR 1.49, 95% CI 0.48–4.59), washing (AOR 2.50, 95% CI 0.93–6.68) and management (AOR 1.38, 95% CI 0.75–2.50) behaviors. This study analyzed the relationship between the use, washing and management of personal protective equipment called firefighting clothing and firefighters perceived occupational exposure risks. This study found an association between the health awareness of occupational exposure risks and recognition of the correct use of FPSs at fire scenes but not between using, washing and managing behaviors of FPSs. This study is the first to analyze the relationship between firefighting clothing and occupational health awareness level. The results confirm that future interventions are required to help firefighters practice desirable behaviors toward FPSs and provided evidenced data for preventing occupational diseases among firefighters. Therefore, this study can be used to develop a firefighter occupational health curriculum and establish health and safety plans from mid- to long-term perspectives for firefighters’ safety against occupational exposure risks.

Personal Protective Equipment Management and Maintenance. An Innovative Project Conducted in a Major Italian Manufacturing Company

A major player in metal mechanic manufacture in Italy that has opted to implement Industry 4.0 standards. One of the key projects undertaken was the creation of a new vision for safety. The aim was met by a team created expressly for the company. The Team placed a high value on PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), which is equipment meant to increase the safety of the Operators while doing their responsibilities. The problem that the Team has clearly warned about, given the frequency of occurrences, is the periodic maintenance of PPE, which is required by law for each device and must be carried out according to strict guidelines to maintain their efficiency and safety certification. As a result, the Team investigated a novel methodology, the topic of this article, based on hardware and software technologies designed to monitor the legal revisions and crucial dates of each piece of PPE in use.

A Qualitative Study on the Management of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Based on a preliminary study, the COVID-19 PPE at Rawang Primary Health Care (PHC) was only partially available. The purpose of this research was to analyze the management of COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) for Rawang PHC officers in Padang City. This research was a qualitative study held in July-September 2021 at the Rawang PHC. Research informants were four officers of PHC, who were obtained through purposive sampling. Collecting data was done through in-depth interviews, document reviews, and observation—data analysis using content analysis with source and method triangulation. The results of this study show that planning for needs was carried out using the consumption method; requests for COVID-19 PPE were made to the Padang District Health Office, which can be done at any time. Receipt of PPE COVID-19 by recording and checking the amount of PPE on the stock card. PPE storage using the FIFO method. The destruction of PPE was only done at the beginning of the pandemic. The distribution of PPE was carried out in sub-units and PHC networks. Control carried out related to the supply and use of PPE. The recording and reporting of PPE have been carried out, but the evaluation has yet to be carried out because the PHC still needs to have a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for managing COVID-19 PPE. The management of COVID-19 PPE at the Rawang PHC could be more optimal. It is recommended for Rawang PHC to make a SOP for the management of COVID-19 PPE.

How Did an Integrated Health and Social Services Center in the Quebec Province Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Qualitative Case Study

ABSTRACT During the first and second waves of the pandemic, Quebec was among the Canadian provinces with the highest COVID-19 mortality rates. Facing particularly large COVID-19 outbreaks in its facilities, an integrated health and social services center in the province of Quebec (Canada), developed resilience strategies. To explore these diverse responses to the crisis, we conducted a case study analysis of a Quebec integrated health and social services center, building on a conceptualization of resilience strategies using “configurations” of effects, strategies, and impacts. Qualitative data from 14 indepth interviews conducted in the summer and fall of 2020 with managers and frontline practitioners were analyzed through the lens of situations of “anticipation,” “reaction,” or “inaction.” The findings were discussed in three results dissemination workshops, two with practitioners and one with managers, to discern lessons they learned. Three major configurations emerged: 1) reorganization of services and spaces to accommodate more COVID-19 patients; 2) management of contamination risks for patients and professionals; and 3) management of personal protective equipment (PPE), supplies, and medications. Within these configurations, the responses to the crisis were strongly shaped by the 2015 health care system reforms in Quebec and were constrained by organizational challenges that included a centralized model of governance, a history of substantial budget cuts to longterm care facilities, and a systematic lack of human resources.

MANAGEMENT OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN FIRE FIGHTING OFFICIALS IN JEMBER REGENCY

In their work, firefighters have a great risk of danger and require PPE in their work. However, the reality in the field of PPE management is still not well implemented. This happens because the facilities provided by the local government of Kabupaten Jember are not maximal and the availability of PPE is not in accordance with the standard. The purpose of this study was to assess the management of personal protective equipment for fire fighters at the Fire Department UPT Jember. This research is descriptive and uses a qualitative approach. This research was conducted at the UPT Pemadam Kebakaran Jember Regency with the informants are the head of potential development of Satpol PP, members of the fire team, and the head of the fire fighting team. The results showed that PPE management is still not running optimally. The PPE identification process is carried out only when a fire incident occurs; some of the PPE they have is still not up to standard; PPE training has never been conducted by the Minister of Home Affairs; PPE storage is still not suitable; does not carry out the PPE disposal and destruction process; PPE guidance is only carried out orally; the implementation of PPE inspections by the Satpol PP is held regularly and suddenly; as well as in the evaluation process carried out informally. Suggestion that can be recommended is that it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive PPE management processing in accordance with the aspects inside.

SG-APSIC1062: The role of active surveillance in the primary-care setting during a pandemic in Singapore

Objectives: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, primary care swiftly transformed and re-established patient flow in clinics to red, orange, and green zones based on a set of screening criteria. To further manage the influx of suspected COVID-19 patients and their needs safely, a list of surveillance audit criteria was developed to ensure good infection control standards. Methods: The infection control team prepared the surveillance audit criteria based on recommended CDC/WHO guidelines for pandemic preparedness. These criteria were contextualized to the primary-care polyclinic setting. The surveillance audit criteria were grouped according to their category: screening, triage, early recognition and source control, inventory management of personal protective equipment (PPE), infection control measures in the red zone, precautionary measures during collection of nasopharyngeal swabs and environmental cleaning and disinfection for premises in the red, orange, and green zones, respectively. The infection control liaison nurses in each polyclinic were trained to use the checklist to ensure consistency in interpretation of the criteria. Results: Surveillance audits were conducted biweekly in the first 3 months then monthly once the compliance rate was steady at 90%–100% for all categories. The overall average compliance rate since commencing in March 2020 for all polyclinics was sustained at 90%–100%. Common findings included inappropriate use of PPE (eg, self-contamination during removal of gown or wrong sequence of doffing), inadequate ventilation, and inadequate cleaning processes. All findings were corrected immediately, and staff education was provided. Conclusions: Primary care plays an important role during a pandemic. It is essential that both patients and healthcare workers in the primary care setting are protected from infection risk during a pandemic. Having a good surveillance audit process helps ensure that primary care services can continue for the general population. Surveillance is an essential component of the health system’s response to a pandemic.

Analisis Perilaku Kepatuhan Penggunaan Alat Pelindung Diri (APD) Pada Tenaga Kesehatan Saat Pandemi Covid-19 (Systematic Review)

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a device that people use to protect against people who have received a disease that can be spread through contact or by other people. PPE is needed for medical personnel in order to reduce the risk of transmission of the Covid-19 virus because during the Covid-19 pandemic, the risk of increasing cases in health workers is very high because they are in direct contact with patients who have contracted Covid-19 for treatment or who are quarantined. The use of non-standard personal protective equipment is one of the reasons why health workers get Covid-19 infections. This is intended for people who work in the distribution and management of PPE, public and individual health, public health management, and providing PPE information. Before making direct contact with patients infected with the Covid-19 virus, health workers must be required to wear PPE, but the availability of PPE is very limited because it is also used by patients and the community. This condition forces health workers to reduce the use of PPE by providing health services without removing PPE for a long time or by using homemade PPE. This is what motivates academics to conduct a literature review that evaluates the factors that influence the habit of using PPE for health workers. In this study, the method used is Observational Retrospective, specifically with a qualitative approach in Systematic Review to synthesize descriptive qualitative research results using the PRISMA (Preffered Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis) method, which is carried out systematically by following the steps outlined below. good and right. To get reliable and accurate results from articles that are used as references, the authors search and select scientific publications from database sources (Literature review) using Google Scholar and the search term "Analysis of Compliance Behavior in the Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Health Workers During the Covid Pandemic. -19." The data analysis used papers related to research issues, namely the examination of compliance behavior in the use of PPE in health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was then systematically researched by selecting 10 articles to be reviewed and included in the review process. After a literature search was carried out by entering keywords in Google Schoolar with keyword analysis of compliance behavior in the use of PPE in health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic from the 2019-2022 range, at least 1040 articles were obtained, but only 10 articles met the inclusion criteria after articles that were not suitable to be removed.

Associations between Awareness of the Risk of Exposure to Pollutants Occurring at Fire Scenes and Health Beliefs among Metropolitan Firefighters in the Republic of Korea.

Firefighters are repeatedly exposed to various pollutants that occur at fire scenes. There are three levels of exposure: primary exposure to pollutants, secondary exposure to pollutants on personal protective equipment (PPE), and tertiary exposure to contaminated fire stations and fire engines due to pollutants on PPE. Therefore, it is important for firefighters to be aware of the risk of exposure to pollutants and to practice health behaviors such as appropriate PPE management. No clear association has been established in the existing literature between firefighters’ risk perception level and their health beliefs about the health impact of awareness of exposure to hazardous substances at fire scenes. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between awareness of the exposure risk to primary, secondary, and tertiary pollutants and health beliefs. It was designed as a cross-sectional study, in which a web-based survey was conducted from 13 May to 31 May 2021. The analysis was conducted in 1940 firefighters working in the Seoul metropolis who agreed to participate in the research. Participants who perceived susceptibility were likely to be aware of the primary (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16–3.80), secondary (AOR = 2.77, 95% CI 1.77–4.32), and tertiary (AOR = 2.73, 95% CI 1.85–4.03) exposure risks. Participants who perceived barriers were unlikely to be aware of the risk of exposure to primary (AOR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.49–0.91), secondary (AOR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.61–0.96), and tertiary (AOR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.62–0.91) pollutants. Educational intervention is recommended to improve perceived susceptibility and awareness of the risk of exposure to pollutants and reduce perceived barriers. Consequently, educational intervention is expected to positively impact firefighters’ management of appropriate PPE. We confirmed an association between occupational exposure risk and firefighters’ health beliefs. In the health belief model (HBM), health beliefs that affect health behavior also affect awareness of the exposure risk level. Therefore, an intervention for health beliefs can also be used to raise job-related exposure risk awareness. Regular training on the health impacts of fire scenes is necessary for both newcomers and incumbents to enable firefighters to better recognize the risks of each occupational exposure level. Additionally, laws and regulations are necessary for the removal of harmful substances that contaminate PPE, such as self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), during exposure to a fire scene. Our research can be used as a basis for improving fire policies and education programs in the future.

Optimalisasi Manajemen Alat Pelindung Diri dan Pelayanan Farmasi Klinis selama Pandemi COVID-19: Narrative Review

Personal protective equipment (PPE) usage in health services plays an essential role in ensuring healthcare workers’ (HCW) and patients’ safety, especially during COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, the diversity of PPE types in the market, limited hospital budget and supplies, required PPE must be rationally managed. Pharmacists as supply managers and clinical care providers must implement PPE management optimization strategies to ensure PPE’s availability and avoid negative impacts such as increasing health service’s costs or PPE waste. This article aims to provide evidence-based strategies for PPE management in hospitals based on managing supply stages and clinical pharmacy services. The article was prepared using narrative literature review method from Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink databases. Articles with topics related to PPE management; alternative uses of PPE, selection, planning, distribution, reuse, and clinical pharmacy services during the COVID-19 pandemic were included in this study. Based on the search, 30 articles and 13 policy guidelines were obtained which were included in this literature review. Management strategies included identifying and cohort supply need based on transmission risk, selecting PPE’s type, forecasting with calculation tools, avoiding just-in-time procurement, centrally distributed, and potential reuse. Clinical pharmacy services modification to minimize PPE use was also an optimizing strategy. For its implementation, pharmacists need to collaborate with other professionals in the hospital because it enhances success with a comprehensive approach. The recommended strategies are expected to assist the management of PPE in Indonesian hospitals, but its application must be tailored for each hospital.

Regulatory Framework for the Disposal and Management of Personal Protective equipment (PPE) During Covid-19 in Bangladesh

COVID-19 is generating significant amounts of hazardous medical waste in Bangladesh due to the increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in hospitals and other professions. That is creating a heavy impact on Bangladesh’s poor waste management and environmental performance. The Government has enacted the Medical Waste Management Rules in 2008 but it failed to provide an appropriate, safe, and cost-effective strategy. This paper intends to scrutinize the existing legal framework for managing abandoned Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and medical waste. Recommendations have also been given to strengthen the regulatory framework for the effective management of abandoned Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and medical wastes.

Covid-19-derived plastic debris contaminating marine ecosystem: Alert from a sea turtle

On 10 August 2021, a face mask (14 cm × 9 cm) was found in the feces of a juvenile green turtle, by-caught alive in a set net off the northeast coast of Japan. Although sea turtles have been monitored in this region over the last 15 years (n = 76), face masks had never been found before the Covid-19 pandemic and this is the first detection. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy identified the mask as polypropylene. Estrogenic active benzotriazole-type UV stabilizers such as UV329 were detected in commercially available polypropylene face masks. Exposure of marine organisms ingesting plastics to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and physical injury are of concern. This study indicates that changes in human life in the pandemic are beginning to affect marine life. Precautionary actions including establishment of appropriate waste management of personal protective equipment and use of safe additives are urgently needed.

The management of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of the province of Quebec.

Like other Canadian provinces, Quebec managed shortages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, with hindsight, what lessons can we learn from this logistics crisis? It is precisely to better understand the decisions made by the supply chain players in the province of Quebec that this paper was written. To fully understand the events, this paper first describes the Quebec healthcare system. Then it retraces the series of events and actions during the first wave, at a time when it was most challenging to procure PPE. It also specifies the main characteristics of the supply chain in the Quebec healthcare sector. Finally, it analyzed these data to come up with recommendations to help public decision makers adopt better supply chain management practices.

“Buddy the Saviour”: Selected Managerial Strategies Deployed to Facilitate Infection Control in a Hospital During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience from the National Referral Centre of Sri Lanka

<strong>Introduction: </strong>National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) is the apex referral centre for clinical management of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. It has remained resilient through twelve months from the onset of the pandemic. Infection Control was one of the prime concerns of its management. <strong> </strong> <strong>Objective: </strong>The objective was to describe managerial strategies adopted by NIID to facilitate infection control during the COVID-19 pandemic. <strong> </strong> <strong>Methods: </strong>This was a descriptive case study. Data was gathered through Key Informant Interviews and by examining hospital records. <strong> </strong> <strong>Results: </strong>Training and improving awareness on infection control, ensuring good hand hygiene practices, management of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), developing institutional capacities to ensure good infection control, effective cleaning and disinfection and prompt and proper management of staff outbreaks were the managerial strategies deployed by NIID to facilitate infection control. <strong> </strong> <strong>Conclusions: </strong>Training and improving awareness on infection control, ensuring good hand hygiene practices, management of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), developing institutional capacities to ensure good infection control, effective cleaning and disinfection and prompt and proper management of staff outbreaks are effective managerial strategies in facilitating infection control in a hospital setting.

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 infection on personal protective equipment (PPE)

BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 stability and infection persistence has been studied on different surfaces, but scarce data exist related to personal protective equipment (PPE), moreover using realist viral loads for infection. Due to the importance for adequate PPE management to avoid risk of virus infection, RNA stability was evaluated on PPE.MethodsPersistence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and detection of genomic RNA in PPE (gowns and face masks) were determined by in-vitro assays and RT-qPCR, respectively. Samples were infected with a clinical sample positive for SARS-CoV-2 (Clin-Inf), and with a heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 strain sample (Str-Inf) as a control.ResultsPPE samples infected with Clin-Inf were positive for the 3 viral genes on gowns up to 5 days post-infection, whereas these overall genes were detected up to 30 days in the case of face masks. However, gowns and FFP2 masks samples contaminated with Clin-Inf showed a cytopathic effect over VERO cells up to 5–7 days post-infection.ConclusionsSARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected on different PPE materials for 5 to 30 days, but PPE contaminated with the virus was infectious up to 5–7 days. These findings demonstrate the need to improve PPE management and to formulate strategies to introduce viricidal compounds in PPE fabrics.

Personal Protective Equipment and Donning and Doffing Techniques in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights From an Internet Search for Protocols.

Background: Due to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a need for precise donning and doffing protocols for personal protective equipment (PPE) among healthcare infrastructures is paramount. Procedures involving the cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) are routinely non-aerosolizing but have the potential for rapid patient deterioration, creating the need for aerosolizing generating procedures. Multiple societal and governmental guidelines on the use of PPE during medical procedures are available on Internet websites; however, there is limited literature available in peer-reviewed formats in this context. This study aims to provide an overview of current PPE donning and doffing protocols specific to the catheterization laboratory.Methods: A series of internet searches regarding donning and doffing of PPE in the CCL including published articles and internet protocols were compiled and compared using Pubmed.gov, Google.com, www.twitter.com, and www.youtube.com.Results: Most institutions used N95 masks, shoe covers, at least one head covering, face shield or goggles, two pairs of gloves, and inner and outer gowns. Doffing variation was greater than donning. Doffing has the potential to contaminate the healthcare worker (HCW), and therefore, this step of PPE management requires further study. Common steps in temporal priority included cleaning of gloved hands, removal of outer (or only) gown, removal of outer gloves, repeat gloved hand cleaning, removal of facial PPE last, and a final non-gloved hand cleaning.Conclusions: This analysis provides a summary of commonly used practices that may be considered when designing CCL-specific PPE protocols. Analysis of consistent steps from the literature led the authors to formulate a suggested protocol for CCL HCWs when performing procedures on patients with confirmed or suspected/unknown COVID-19.

Difficulties in maintaining electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) in a psychiatric hospital during covid19 pandemic

IntroductionECT is an effective care with high level of recommendation. During the COVID19, new recommendations to protect patients and caregivers combined with the increasing use of medicines and medical devices (MD) for anesthesia, caused greater difficulties of supply. Even if vital for patients, it is challenging to maintain ECT in this environment.ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to resume the measures implemented in order to maintain ECT during COVID19.MethodsRetrospective analysis of measures implemented to maintain the ECT during COVID19.Results As FFP2 masks were restricted to intensive care units, our hospital were not supplied. After negotiations, the regional health agency (ARS) has granted us an allocation of 100 masks to maintain ECT. Our efficient stock management of personal protective equipment as well as our transparency on these stocks with ARS and sharing with other hospitals out of stock played a role in this agreement.We had to adapt our MDs references according to breaks of many ones and new recommendations. The university hospital helping us in supplying certain missing references. Considering the difficulties in supplying drugs and MDs, and limited availability of anesthetists, we have reduced the number of ECT. Prioritization of patients with vital indications had to be achieved.ConclusionsThe prioritization of some services by the regulatory agency causes many supply difficulties for the others. It would be important to reassess the priority of ECT in such crisis because most of the time other caregivers and regulatory agencies are not aware how they are vital for patients.

Stability of nitrile and vinyl latex gloves under repeated disinfection cycles

As severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission by fomites is one of the main concerns of coronavirus disease 2019, the World Health Organization advised on the use of protective gloves for handling contaminated surfaces and fomites. The shortage in the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the surging demand in conjuncture with the disposal of an unprecedented quantity of contaminated PPE into the landfill led to an interest for alternative platforms for the management of PPE. In this study, we evaluated the potential of reusing gloves after repeated disinfection cycles using six readily available and common sterilization methods: UV, ethanol, heat, steam, bleach, and quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) for the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2. For this, two commercially available medical-grade gloves, i.e. nitrile and vinyl (polyvinyl chloride) gloves were tested. Both types of gloves showed deterioration in mechanical and thermal performance with the use of quats as sterilization treatment while no remarkable change in properties was observed up to 20 cycles of disinfection for the other sterilization methods. The exceptions were that the vinyl and nitrile gloves did not tolerate steam/dry heat and UV treatment over 10 cycles due to likely dehydrochlorination and thermal degradation, respectively. Subsequent rounds of sterilization caused no significant change in the glass transition temperature (Tg) of either medical gloves; however, quats caused a slight reduction in Tg due to its plasticizing effect. Overall, the physical sterilization treatments including steam, dry heat, and UV allowed the gloves to retain their thermomechanical performance up to ten cycles of sterilization.

Game theory to enhance stock management of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare facilities have suffered from shortages in medical resources, particularly in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). In this paper, we propose a game-theoretic approach to schedule PPE orders among healthcare facilities. In this PPE game, each independent healthcare facility optimises its own storage utilisation in order to keep its PPE cost at a minimum. Such a model can reduce peak demand considerably when applied to a variable PPE consumption profile. Experiments conducted for NHS England regions using actual data confirm that the challenge of securing PPE supply during disasters such as COVID-19 can be eased if proper stock management procedures are adopted. These procedures can include early stockpiling, increasing storage capacities and implementing measures that can prolong the time period between successive infection waves, such as social distancing measures. Simulation results suggest that the provision of PPE dedicated storage space can be a viable solution to avoid straining PPE supply chains in case a second wave of COVID-19 infections occurs.

Resuming Dental and Craniomaxillofacial Surgical Missions During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Guidelines and Recommendations.

Descriptive review article. The purpose of this article is to provide guidelines and recommendations for how to safely resume dental and craniomaxillofacial STSMs. The following considerations will be discussed: the need for extensive collaboration between organizations and local leadership, the importance of COVID-19 testing, use and management of personal protective equipment, team selection and training, social distancing protocols, and criteria for patient and case selection. A literature review was completed, identifying resources and current data regarding the safe resumption clinical activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, there are no protocols developed regarding the safe resumption of STSMs. Primary resources, including the CDC, WHO, and FDA should be closely monitored so that developed protocols from these recommendations reflect the latest information. This paper outlines general considerations and recommendations for dentists, oral health specialists, and craniomaxillofacial surgeons seeking to safely resume STSMs. These recommendations are designed to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19 by reinforcing social distancing protocols, reviewing criteria for patient and case selections, encouraging collaboration between organizations and local leadership, and team training. These guidelines should be tailored to fit the needs of each individual mission while keeping the safety as the main objective.

Assessment of Laboratory Safety in Universities Based on Combined Weighting Method and Unascertained Measure Theory

In order to avoid accidents and improve the level of laboratory safety management in universities, a laboratory safety assessment method based on entropy weight method, analytic hierarchy process and unascertained measure theory is put forward. The laboratory safety assessment index system is established by selecting eight assessment indexes such as hazardous chemicals management, instrument and equipment management and personal protective equipment management; The comprehensive weight of the assessment index is determined by combining the combination weighting method of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight method (EW). According to the principle of maximum membership degree, the safety grade of university laboratory is determined, and compared with the actual results. This work indicated that this innovated method can reasonably evaluate the current situation of laboratory safety, and it can provide a reference for strengthening laboratory safety management.