szschaler
commented
3 years ago Very nice. I can see the potential for ABM modelling here. What data would you need and how would you model the difference in transmission impact between different PPE standards?
Based on a comment made by Luke Snell, and some observations I made in my visits to COVID wards compared to the ED
PPE guidelines, and infection-control policies are constantly evolving at the hospital, and can vary depending on what ward staff are working on. As guidelines are constantly changing, there are cases where new policies are not effectively communicated to staff members resulting in not only inconsistencies between wards, but also within wards too. Some staff are told to replace masks, wash hands after every patient they see, whereas other staff are told to wash hands 'regularly' and to replace their mask only once they have finished their shift. In a hospital where PPE usage can be so varied, it would be interesting to investigate the impact of compliance on disease transmission rates. For staff and patients moving between different wards, does this inconsistency in PPE policies present a risk? If staff PPE compliance went up by 20%, what effect does this have on transmission?