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Nursing home workers aren’t used to wearing masks, respirators and other protective gear, so they might not have the safest equipment or know how to use them correctly.
ECRI, a Plymouth Meeting nonprofit with the goal of improving safety, quality and cost-effectiveness in health care, is looking at 55 at-risk nursing homes identified by the Department of Health to make sure their protective gear is up to the job.
"We're going to take a look at all of them and test them for adequacy, if they come from alternative sources or different vendors. Are they really going to be able to protect the nurses and the patients?" President and CEO Dr. Marcus Schabacker said.
"We’re also going to be looking at some of the medical devices, like ventilators DOH is going to send to us, to make sure it’s functional and safe."
ECRI is also on hand to give concrete guidance to the staff on personal protective equipment and to teach workers how to safely treat the sickest patients and how to prevent infection when a contagious virus, such as the one that causes COVID-19, has entered the building.