Personal protective equipment during COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative review on technical aspects

Introduction: The current pandemic of novel Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created a significant shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in many countries of the world, stressing medical services during this crisis. Along with addressing problems of demand and supply mismatch, there also a need to ensure the procurement of high-quality PPEs that provides both safety and comfort to users. The purpose of this article is to review existing standards and recommendations on the technical aspects of PPE. Areas covered: For this review, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Research Gate were searched. Studies reporting technical aspects of the components of PPE including mask and respirator, gown, and coverall, gloves, goggles, face shields, or visors, and boots, are included in this review. Expert opinion: The design and materials of PPE needs further research, which might have minimal carriage of infective biological load like the use of antimicrobial repellent finishes along with adequate tensile strength and breathability through the fabric. Respirators should have the least resistance while providing maximum protection; goggles should not have fogging. Also, there is a need of formulating universal technical specifications for medically used PPE and ensuring easy availability of the testing facilities.