Moderate Thermal Strain in Healthcare Workers Wearing Personal Protective Equipment During Treatment and Care Activities in the Context of the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak.
The extent of thermal strain while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) during care activities for Ebola virus disease patients has not yet been characterized. From January to March 2015, 25 French healthcare workers (HCWs) in Conakry, Guinea, volunteered to be monitored while wearing PPE using an ingestible thermal sensor. The mean (standard deviation) working ambient temperature and relative humidity were 29.6 °C (2.0 °C) and 65.4% (10.3%), respectively; the mean time wearing PPE was 65.7 (13.5) minutes; and the mean core body temperature increased by 0.46 °C (0.20 °C). Four HCWs reached or exceeded a mean core body temperature of ≥ 38.5 °C. HCWs wearing PPE for approximately 1 hour exhibited moderate but safe thermal strain.
['Grélot|Laurent|L|', 'Koulibaly|Fassou|F|', 'Maugey|Nancy|N|', 'Janvier|Frédéric|F|', 'Foissaud|Vincent|V|', 'Aletti|Marc|M|', 'Savini|Hélène|H|', 'Cotte|Jean|J|', 'Dampierre|Henry|H|', 'Granier|Hervé|H|', 'Carmoi|Thierry|T|', 'Sagui|Emmanuel|E|']
D000328:Adult D001831:Body Temperature D015331:Cohort Studies D004196:Disease Outbreaks D005260:Female D016701:Guinea D006282:Health Personnel D006339:Heart Rate D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola D006358:Hot Temperature D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory D000067393:Personal Protective Equipment D013312:Stress, Physiological D062125:Thermometry
healthcare workers personal protective equipment treatment and care activities Ebola virus disease outbreak core body temperature heat stress