Snip and Fold; a Safer Approach

Dear Editor, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious viral pandemic that has affected the millions of people. Personal-protective equipment (PPE) for health-care personnel, particularly in an emergency situation, may lower the chance of transmission. Health-care workers (HCWs) have taken on significant risks of contracting coronavirus disease as a result of their care of patients with COVID-19 infection during the pandemic. Nevertheless, because of robust health-care infection prevention and control practices and policies that prevent patient-to-HCW transmission, it is possible that the greatest risk of COVID-19 transmission to HCWs comes from the exposure in their communities, and secondarily, between essential workers. International recommendations exist for HCWs regarding the use of PPE to prevent COVID-19 transmission, and all guidelines encourage measures when donning and doffing.[1] Doffing is the process of removing PPE and can be a source of contamination for employees. Pulling the gown down and away from the body in a methodical manner, rolling it inside out into a bundle, and peeling off your gloves are all the part of the PPE removal protocol.[2] The most difficult obstacle to limiting inadvertent pathogen exposure is properly removing and disposing of contaminated PPE. Tomas et al. discovered that the contamination of health-care personnel occurred often when gloves and gowns were removed.[3] Longer shifts, weariness, and continuous use of PPE may force injudicious PPE rolling down. Vigorous movements and obvious pulling while removing the disposable cover from the suit may result in contamination. To avoid this, it is preferable to use a snip and fold technique rather than a roll-down technique, which requires cutting the entire length of PPE with conventional trauma shears and then folding it with ease.[4] This can be done as a modification of cut alone technique, which is used in the emergency room for rapid and appropriate exposure of trauma patients [Figure 1].[5] This will reduce the amount of stress experienced while doffing as well as the risk of contamination.Figure 1: Modification of cut alone techniqueContamination of health-care personnel while performing their duties is regarded as an occupational disease that, in addition to endangering their families and co-workers, can impact the quality of services. Keeping vital health-care services running amid the COVID-19 virus outbreak requires the welfare and mental resilience of health-care personnel. With recent outbreaks of more contagious COVID-19 variants as well as other endemic transmissible viral infections such as monkeypox and infection control measures using more pragmatic approaches may help to limit the danger of cross contamination. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.