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personal protective equipment
The following articles have the tag personal protective equipment
Swine flu: replace full PPE with surgical masks
GPs have been urged to wear a surgical mask at minimum when swabbing swine flu suspects, despite acknowledgement that the disease is relatively mild. The RACGP said today it supported the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer’s approach in moving Australia to a newly created ‘protect’ pandemic phase. RACGP pandemic preparedness group spokesman Dr Ron McCoy said the college would modify its advice on wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), which had called for P2 (N95) masks, gowns, eye protection and gloves when swabbing. “If there was a higher case fatality rate we would be still thinking PPE, but ...
Division acts on swine flu protection
AS the WHO declares a global flu pandemic and swine flu cases mount at home, the inability of GPs to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) from the national stockpile has prompted one division to take matters into its own hands. The Northern Sydney General Practice Network last week negotiated a deal with industrial safety equipment supplier Blackwoods that will allow doctors to access discounted PPE, including masks, goggles, gloves and gowns. The discounts, which range between 25% and 30%, will initially be available to NSW doctors, but are expected to be expanded to all GPs in Australia. ...
GPs hampered by lack of P2 masks
GPs may be prevented from taking swabs from people with suspected swine flu because of problems in accessing supplies of P2 masks. If a GP does not have appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), they should not take a nose and throat swab from a high-risk patient, the RACGP warned as health authorities braced for a pandemic. However, suppliers of P2 masks are posting “sold out” notices on their websites, and some say warehouses are almost empty with little likelihood of manufacturers being able to keep up with demand. State stockpiles of PPE might have to be ...