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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Journal of Coloproctology 2021; 41(04): 367-374
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1739167
Original Article

Validation of Algorithms for Donning and Doffing Personal Protective Equipment during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Flávio Dutra Miranda 
1   Professional Master's Program in Applied Health Sciences, Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí, Pouso Alegre, MG, Brazil
,
Marcus Vinicius Teixeira de Almeida 
1   Professional Master's Program in Applied Health Sciences, Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí, Pouso Alegre, MG, Brazil
,
Geraldo Magela Salomé 
1   Professional Master's Program in Applied Health Sciences, Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí, Pouso Alegre, MG, Brazil
› Author Affiliations Funding The authors declare that the present study did not receive any external funding.
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Abstract

Introduction The prolonged or incorrect use of facial masks, respirators and glasses or visors results in friction, pressure and shear forces that constantly act on the facial skin, leading to lesions and dermatitis.

Objective To develop and validate algorithms to guide health professionals in the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and indicate preventive measures against skin injuries caused by inappropriate use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods For the develoment of the algorithms, an integrative literature review was performed using the following databases: PubMed, SciELO, and LILACS. The algorithms were evaluated by 59 health professionals (nurses, doctors, and physiotherapists), using the Delphi technique. A content validity index (CVI) was used for the statistical analysis.

Results The experts classified the items of the algorithms from fully inadequate to fully adequate in the first round of consultations, and from partially adequate to fully adequate in the second round. The overall CVI values were of 0.83 and 1.0 in the first and second rounds respectively.

Conclusion The algorithms validated by the expert panel can be used by health professionals when donning and doffing PPE, and to prevent the facial-skin lesions caused by their use.

Keywords

coronavirus infection - protective devices - pressure injury - use of equipment and supplies - algorithms


Publication History

Received: 30 November 2020

Accepted: 15 June 2021

Article published online:
13 December 2021

© 2021. Sociedade Brasileira de Coloproctologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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