Evaluating the national PPE guidance for NHS healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

TLDR

Many COVID‑19 infections and deaths among healthcare workers have been attributed to inadequate PPE, and UK organisations continue to question the sufficiency of Public Health England’s national PPE guidance despite recent revisions. The report assesses the validity of concerns about the adequacy of NHS PPE guidance by critically appraising evidence, reviewing international guidance, and examining ethical implications. The authors critically appraise evidence, compare international PPE guidance, and analyze ethical implications to evaluate the guidance.

Abstract

<h3>ABSTRACT</h3> Tragically, many of the infections and deaths recorded in the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have occurred in healthcare workers. Some have attributed this to inadequate provision of personal protective equipment (PPE). In the UK, several organisations have voiced their concerns that the national PPE guidance issued by Public Health England is inadequate. Despite recent revisions to these guidelines, concerns remain that they offer insufficient protection to frontline NHS healthcare workers. In this report, we evaluate whether these concerns are merited, through critical appraisal of the available evidence, review of international PPE guidance, and consideration of the ethical implications.