by Tan Tock Seng Hospital
In our fight against COVID-19, vigilance in hand hygiene practice, universal precautions, wearing of masks and the appropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by healthcare staff are key infection control measures to keep them safe and deliver better care. PPE includes masks and gowns, as well as goggles and face shields that are used not only in outbreak areas, but also during higher-risk procedures such as intubation.
Wearing the tight goggles for prolonged periods can lead to discomfort and facial imprints, so a multi-disciplinary team from Tan Tock Seng Hospital got together at the onset of this outbreak to develop an alternative for the goggles where possible. They came up with cost-effective disposable face shield designs that fit more comfortably — one design straps around the head, while another design comes with reusable 3D-printed 'spectacle' frames that allow for less wastage.
Thanks to the generous donation by UOB through the Community Foundation of Singapore, we have started sharing our face shields with the staff of Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital and Ren Ci Hospital in recent months. They had shared that they were facing difficulties obtaining disposable face shields at an affordable price. We worked with them to trial the TTSH designed face shields to identify suitable use cases and to test the suitability of the face shields for their settings. The feedback has been good – they love the light designs, better visibility and coverage, and the anti-fog feature. They feel more secure wearing the new face shields to perform procedures like suctioning, tracheostomy care, Chest PT and swabbing.
TTSH constantly looks for better ways to keep staff safe and comfortable in the course of their work, and to share our innovations with our partners.
Find related articles
Issue 2: July 2020