Mrs. Kathryn Green1, Dr Patricia Ferguson1,2, Ms Nicole Lennox1, Mary Wyer1,4, Jaisa Kuriakose1,3
1NSW Biocontainment Centre, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Australia, 2Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 3Sydney Children's Hospital Network, Westmead, Australia, 4Faculty of Medicine and Health, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Biography:
Kathryn Green is a Nurse Educator, NSW Biocontainment Centre (NBC), with extensive experience in multidisciplinary education, training and clinical simulation. With a background in paediatric emergency nursing, education and policy and procedure development, she has played a key role in developing and implementing training programs for frontline healthcare workers.
Abstract:
Introduction
A 24-hour simulation was conducted at the New South Wales Biocontainment Centre (NBC) to evaluate operational readiness and personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols for managing high-consequence infectious diseases (HCID) such as Viral Haemorrhagic Fever (VHF). The exercise enabled real-time assessment of PPE donning and doffing efficiency, staff well-being, and procedural compliance.
Method
Thirteen entries into the quarantine room were made by 11 staff members wearing either an N95 PPE ensemble or a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) with biohood ensemble. Electronic checklists captured data including donning and doffing times, duration of PPE use, tympanic temperatures.
Results
Average donning time for the N95 PPE ensemble was 16.61 minutes (±3.13), with a range of 12.77 to 21.72 minutes, while the PAPR ensemble averaged 25.68 minutes (±2.39), ranging from 22.02 to 28.02 minutes. Doffing times were similarly longer for PAPR users, averaging 34.10 minutes (±5.20) compared to 24.20 minutes (±5.16) for N95, with ranges of 26.20–43.77 minutes and 16.55–34.43 minutes, respectively.
Time in PPE ranged from 23 to 147 minutes for N95 with average of 66.1 minutes (±39.8) and 48 to 190 minutes for PAPR (average 115.6 ±46.4). Tympanic temperature data showed an average increase of 0.15°C (±0.42), with individual changes ranging from –0.3°C to +1.0°C.
Conclusion
The simulation highlighted the time-intensive nature of following HCID PPE protocols and the importance of incorporating donning and doffing durations into clinical response time. Observed temperature changes suggest potential physiological impacts of extended PPE use. These findings will inform future operational planning and training.