For Residents

Double Masking and Decontamination: A Doctor's COVID-19 Routine

Author and Disclosure Information

Gary S. Ferenchick, MD, MS, a professor of medicine at Michigan State University, interviewed his daughter, Hannah R.B. Ferenchick, MD, an emergency and critical care physician, about her experiences taking care of COVID-19 patients.

See their earlier conversation about "silent hypoxemia" and other clinical observations of COVID-19 patients.


 

Vidyard Video

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Gary S. Ferenchick, MD, MS: I'm Gary Ferenchick with Hannah Ferenchick, who has agreed to join us to talk about the PPE and decontamination processes she's using. Why don't you introduce yourself?

Hannah R.B. Ferenchick, MD: I am Hannah Ferenchick. I'm an ER physician and medical intensivist. I split my time between the medical ICU and the emergency department at Detroit Medical Center.

PPE Routine at the Hospital

Dr Gary Ferenchick: You've developed your own PPE and decontamination routines. It's about protecting yourself at work but also about protecting your loved ones by not carrying the virus home. Could you walk us through it? I'll show it on the screen.

Dr Hannah Ferenchick: At work I wear scrubs, and I try to minimize any additional clothing. I don't wear a jacket over my scrubs, and I don't wear any T-shirts under my scrubs. If I'm going to be in a situation that might involve exposure to patient secretions or bodily fluids, then I also wear shoe covers.

Because so many of our patients are infected and we may be called upon at any time to do an aerosol-generating procedure, in the ED we have all taken to wearing N95 masks for our entire shift. I wear a fitted N95 mask. I cover that with a surgical mask.

We are anticipating N95 shortages because our use of the masks has increased exponentially. Every hospital has to think about how to protect their healthcare workers while conserving PPE. We cover the N95 mask with a surgical mask, so that if there is any soiling or droplets reaching the mask, we are able to change the surgical mask and continue to use the same N95.

In addition, eye protection is important. Generally throughout the shift I wear my own goggles. If I'm going to be involved in any procedure with the potential for aerosolization (intubation, performing CPR, bronchoscopy) then I wear a creation of my own, which is a welder's shield.

Many of our providers have chosen to use their own equipment, although we are still able to use hospital-provided equipment. There is probably no difference in effectiveness between these devices.

Cell Phones and Stethoscopes

I carry a personal cell phone at work (which I often use to look things up, use the calculator, and for other purposes), and I'm cognizant that when I touch it, I am potentially transmitting pathogens to my phone or its cover. So I've taken to keeping my phone in a plastic sandwich bag, which I disinfect a couple of times throughout the shift. The phone still works normally.

After my shift, in my "decontamination phase," I remove the phone from the plastic bag and disinfect the phone again.

I try to avoid bringing objects into the vicinity of the patient. That's different from my normal routine—I usually like to write down what the patient has told me—but unfortunately, carrying pen and paper or a clipboard into a patient's room is not feasible at this point. During this time, I've also avoided using my personal stethoscope.

Pages

Recommended Reading

Interim guidance for CPR in patients with COVID-19
Clinician Reviews
FDA authorizes first COVID-19 test kit with home collection option
Clinician Reviews
Overcoming COVID-related stress
Clinician Reviews
COVID-19: New programs can provide money to keep your practice running
Clinician Reviews
Doctors push back on treating COVID-19 as HAPE
Clinician Reviews
COVID-19 strikes hard at state-run veterans nursing homes
Clinician Reviews
ACEI/ARBs linked with survival in hypertensive, Chinese COVID-19 patients
Clinician Reviews
Get triage plans in place before COVID-19 surge hits, critical care experts say
Clinician Reviews
Management of infants born to mothers with COVID-19
Clinician Reviews
Signature STEMI sign may be less diagnostic in the COVID-19 age
Clinician Reviews