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Innovation at a Children's Hospital: Personal Protective Equipment Efforts During the Pandemic
Justin Opfermann1, Anuradha Dayal2, Alyssa Abo3
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, 1466Johns Hopkins University, Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's National Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Surgical Innovation
|March 29, 2021
Summary
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, a children's hospital rapidly developed essential personal protective equipment (PPE). This multidisciplinary innovation approach maximized scarce resources and built hospital resilience.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Biomedical Engineering
- Infectious Disease Preparedness
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for healthcare systems globally.
- Hospitals faced critical shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) early in the pandemic.
- Children's hospitals required tailored solutions for unique patient populations and clinical settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the process of developing novel personal protective equipment (PPE) at a children's hospital during the early COVID-19 pandemic.
- To highlight the establishment and function of an innovation working group to address urgent needs.
- To showcase a replicable model for rapid resource mobilization and problem-solving in healthcare settings.
Main Methods:
- Formation of a multidisciplinary innovation working group.
- Identification of critical PPE needs across various hospital departments.
- Design, prototyping, and implementation of four distinct PPE solutions: plexiglass shields, face shields, breath shields, and safety glasses.
- Collaboration with hospital stakeholders to overcome supply chain challenges.
Main Results:
- Successfully developed and deployed four types of custom PPE, including plexiglass shields for the emergency department, face shields for clinicians, breath shields for ophthalmology, and safety glasses for nurses.
- Demonstrated the effectiveness of a rapid, multidisciplinary approach in addressing immediate PPE shortages.
- Strengthened hospital supply chain resilience and adaptability.
Conclusions:
- A proactive, multidisciplinary innovation working group can effectively develop essential personal protective equipment (PPE) during public health crises.
- The demonstrated approach fostered agility, resourcefulness, and resilience within the hospital system.
- This model offers a scalable strategy for future healthcare emergencies and resource scarcity situations.
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