The HealthEssentials published a piece on best-practices for the face shields as an essential piece of personal protective equipment. In the article, they go over the proper use of shields in addition to cleaning and disinfection techniques inside and outside of the healthcare setting.
“Face shields offer healthcare providers another layer of protection,” says Steven Gordon, MD, Chairman of the Department of Infectious Disease. “They’re already a necessity for surgeons. And now with COVID-19, you’ll see providers who are testing or even intubating patients wearing them along with their masks for additional protection from transmission.”
As more and more we see face shields being used outside of professional settings, it’s important to emphasize on the best-practices and proven techniques to make a shield last longer and to keep it adequately disinfected and safe to use. Face shields are very simple and straightforward to use, making them also fairly easy to wear.
The CDC recommends wearing disposable face shields once; you can use a non-disposable face shield repeatedly as long as it’s not warped, soiled, or damaged. When the face shield shows signs of wear and tear, it’s recommended replacing it, as they are relatively inexpensive. Trying to fix an old cracked or warped face shield is almost impossible as the plastic visor is made out of one curved piece. To keep face shield safe as CDC instructed, the plastic panel of your face shield should extend well past the chin and curve around the sides of your face. Shortening the visor or cutting off its part would make a face shield ineffective.
One additional advice on proper care for the face shields is storage and how to set them aside when not in use.
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