MedTrace Logo

Testing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

NCT03004690 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 19

Last updated 2017-01-06

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Pandemics and re-emerging diseases put pressure on the health care system to prepare for patient care and sample logistics requiring enhanced personnel protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers. We generated quantifiable data on ergonomics of PPE applicable in a health care setting by defining error rates and physically limiting factors due to PPE-induced restrictions. Nineteen study volunteers tested randomly allocated head- or full body-ventilated PPE suits equipped with powered-air-purifying-respirators and performed four different tests (two laboratory tutorials, a timed test of selective attention and a test investigating reaction time, mobility, speed and physical exercise) during 6 working hours at 22°C on one day and 4 working hours at 28°C on another day. Error rates and physical parameters (fluid loss, body temperature, heart rate) were determined and ergonomic-related parameters were assessed hourly using questionnaires. Depending on the PPE system the most restrictive factors were: reduced dexterity due to multiple glove layers, impaired visibility by flexible face shields and back pain related to the respirator of the fully ventilated suit. Heat stress and liquid loss were perceived as restrictive at a working temperature of 28°C but not 22°C.

Conditions

  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Heat Stress

Interventions

DEVICE

PPE Suit A

In this randomized study following good clinical practice guidelines nineteen study volunteers were recruited to wear one of two different types of randomly allocated PPE suits. Suit A has to be used by randomly selected participants to perform four different tests six times at 22°C on one day and four times at 28°C on another day in the local core facility clinical research center.

DEVICE

PPE Suit B

Suit B has to be used by randomly selected participants to perform four different tests six times at 22°C on one day and four times at 28°C on another day in the local core facility clinical research center.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Medical University of Graz

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2011-05-31
Primary Completion
2012-12-31
Completion
2013-03-31

Countries

  • Austria

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03004690 on ClinicalTrials.gov