Abstract
Dear Editor,
We describe an improvised protective shield for use during oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal COVID-19 swab tests that are inexpensive and easily fabricated. The swab shield consists of a transparent plastic barrier that serves to separate between the healthcare provider and the patient. The swab shield incorporates two circular ports through which the provider’s hands are passed to perform the swab test. The dimensions of the swab shield and its end-product are provided in Figure 1.
(a) Dimensions and (b) end-product of the swab test protective shield.
One should not spare personal protective equipment (PPE) when performing swab tests using such protective shield. Standard droplet and contact precautions are still necessary, which include the following: gloves, N95 mask, fluid-resistant gown, and eye protection. 1 The benefits of the swab shield are twofold. First, it provides extra protection to healthcare providers from airway droplets which can be overproduced by coughing and sneezing during swab procedures. Second, healthcare providers may feel less insecure when performing the swab test with a protective barrier placed in between.
Currently, our swab shield design has been adopted by many emergency departments in Taiwan. We hope our swab shield can help more healthcare providers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Footnotes
Author contributions
Dr L.-W.L. built the prototype of the swab shield; Dr C.-F.C. designed the prototype and wrote the manuscript.
Declaration of conflicting interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Ethical approval
Not required according to the Institutional Review Board of ShinKong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital.
Informed consent
Not required according to the Institutional Review Board of ShinKong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital.
