NPAO Statement on Personal Protective Equipment and Covid 19

• We recognize there is a current shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare providers.
• Given this, we know we have community transmission and frontline healthcare workers have tested positive.
• We also hearing that some employers are requiring recently travelled providers to return to work without the recommended 14 day period of self-isolation
• 9-10% of healthcare workers in Italy are testing positive for Covid 19

Based on this information,

• If Covid 19 is assumed or confirmed, we recommend that NPs that have direct patient contact must be equipped with PPEs for droplet precautions and contact. This includes eye protection, surgical masks, gloves and isolation gowns. This protects both the patient and our health care sector from asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19
• We agree with the CDC and Public Health Ontario recommendations that N95 masks be restricted to areas of high-risk transmission, such as aerosol-producing procedures.

The Ontario government is calling on Ontarians who may have access to unneeded  PPE to consider donating them (e.g. Veterinary clinic, dentist office, aesthetic services)

The Ontario government has set up a website where you can disclose the resources you have available.

Pregnancy and Covid 19

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) COVID-19 information, dated March 16^th, 2020 states:

• There is no evidence that women who are pregnant experience more severe symptoms when ill (unlike H1N1).
• Pregnancy outcomes are strongly correlated to the degree of maternal illness.
• There is no current evidence to suggest vertical transmission can occur (mom to foetus).

Based of SOGC and CDC information:

• In clinical areas of higher risk (i.e. bronchoscopy), NPs who are pregnant should be deployed to areas of lower risk.
• In clinical areas of lower risk, NPs who are pregnant should be provided with, at minimum, a surgical mask.
• Ideally NPs who are pregnant should be deployed to areas without direct patient care (i.e. virtual care). 

Click here for more information: https://sogc.org

We recognize that information about COVID-19 is changing rapidly as more epidemiological information becomes available. These recommendations are based on our review of best evidence as of the date of publication.

March 25, 2020