The Designing, Testing, and Utility of a 3D-Printed Respirator: A Hospital's Journey Into Self-Sustainability During COVID-19
| Autor: | Vyom Richharia, Ajinkya Athlye, Ravisha More, Bindi S Patel, Aditya Lal Vallath, Satyajeet Bhaskare, Akshita Lalendran, Adheeth Praveen, Sarabjeet Rattan, Sudhir Patsute |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
n95 respirators
3d printing business.product_category business.industry covid 19 General Engineering Infectious Disease operations and supply chain management Burnout medicine.disease Test (assessment) Goods and services Scale (social sciences) Health care Emergency Medicine research in emergency medicine Medicine infection control measures Medical emergency Respirator business personal protective equipment (ppe) Personal protective equipment Occupational Health Air filter |
| Zdroj: | Cureus |
| ISSN: | 2168-8184 |
| Popis: | Objective The current global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains and the production of essential goods and services. This includes personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, respirators, and other protective devices. Hence efforts were made to prototype and produce 3D-printed N95 respirators to fill the gap in supply. In addition, methods of sterilization were put into place for the respirators. As well as forming standard operating procedures. Methods With the use of vast open-source libraries and collaboration with engineers and doctors fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, respirator prototypes were produced with special consideration to the sizing to fit median facial sizes. Polymer plastics were mixed in various proportions to condition the respirator to be used by frontline workers in austere environments. Due to the shortage of medical-grade filter media, alternative sources were researched. Merv 13 and Merv 15 filters were selected due to their cheap costs, vast abundance, and proven filtration efficacy against particles of 0.03 microns. Studies conducted around the world have also shown its efficacy as an alternative to medical-grade air filter media. After developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for sterilisation and respirator usage. Emergency approval was obtained and a limited number of healthcare workers were issued with this respirator (n=400). PPE kit satisfaction and self-efficacy scores were calculated from daily questionnaires during donning and doffing Results Qualitative fit-tests in all 400 healthcare workers matched those of a conventional N95 respirator. Almost all of the respondents in the PPE kit satisfaction responded positively. The self-efficacy score calculated from the general self-efficiency scale had an overall positive value, with the average score being 4.29. This demonstrated that the self-efficacy score was above average and indicated a high motivation to overcome obstacles and spend more time solving problems. The average self-efficacy score is defined between 2.5 - 3.5, and a low self-efficacy score is defined as a score below 2.5. Lastly, a regression analysis was done to test the correlation between PPE kit satisfaction and self-efficiency this demonstrated a positive correlation between PPE kit satisfaction using the 3D-printed respirator and self-efficacy (Slope: 0.416, Intercept: -1.066, R-value: 0.872, P-value |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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