COVID-19 update (31 March)

NewsMar 31, 2020

NZ Guidelines for Otolaryngologists, Head and Neck Surgeons on Personal Protection Equipment in the COVID-19 Pandemic 
The New Zealand Society of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery (NZSOHNS) has released guidelines on the use of personal protection equipment (PPE). Otolaryngologists, Head and Neck Surgeons face increased risk of potential exposure to COVID-19 due to the nature of the aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) they perform on a routine basis.
 
Conflicting guidelines from other healthcare environments are currently circulating and often refer to protective equipment of types not currently available in New Zealand.
 
This guideline has been formulated to inform discussions that Society members undertake with their individual DHB Occupational Health Departments, Infectious Disease Specialists and Incident Management Teams (IMTs) or similar bodies.
 
Download the PPE guideline. (PDF 163.77KB)
NZSOHNS guidelines addressing the COVID-19 pandemic (PDF 165.3KB)

Continuing professional development (CPD)
We have made repeated calls to Medical Board of Australia requesting a response to the management of CPD but haven’t received anything to date.
 
Maintaining front-line trauma services during the COVID-19 response
Amidst the influx of COVID-19 patients, trauma patients will continue to arrive and will require the highest possible levels of care to optimise outcomes and reduce complications that may impact on resources such as ventilators and ICU/HDU beds for COVID-19 patients. In addition, patterns of trauma may change in unforeseeable ways given the widespread community unrest during the pandemic response, and as such demand for trauma services may be unpredictable.

To mitigate this, we recommend that facilities and jurisdictions mandate and prioritise the application of experienced clinical trauma personnel to this highly vulnerable patient group as the volume of COVID-19 patients escalates. Read more (PDF 137.85KB).

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