Health-care workers, AHS agree on standards of protective equipment needed for COVID-19
Joint statement comes after nurses in Edmonton refused to test for COVID-19 without N95 masks
Alberta Health Services and unions for health-care workers have come to an agreement on standards for protective equipment after nurses in Edmonton refused to test for COVID-19 without N95 masks.
A joint statement released Friday states AHS and the unions have clarified standards.
"As partners in the response to COVID-19, we trust our front-line health care teams to make appropriate and clinically sound decisions," said the statement, backed by the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA), the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, Health Sciences Association of Alberta, as well as Covenant Health.
Health-care workers coming within two metres of a suspected, presumed or confirmed COVID-19 patient should have access to N95 respirators, the statement said.
This could save lives amongst our frontline workers.- Sandi Johnson, United Nurses of Alberta
The agreement came as 12 nurses, who still refused to conduct COVID-19 tests, awaited findings from an investigation by Occupational Health and Safety.
Sandi Johnson. UNA vice-president for the Edmonton-area, said nurses are ecstatic.
"This could save lives amongst our frontline workers," Johnson said. "I am also very pleased that the assessment skills and judgment of of our nurses has been recognized as the primary determinants with respect to the personal protection equipment that they require."
The ability to assess what protection is needed was at the heart of the dispute between AHS and the nurses.
AHS said looser-fitting surgical masks provide adequate protection to conduct swabs. The UNA argued that scientific evidence on aerosol transmission of the novel coronavirus is inconclusive and nurses' clinical judgment should be respected.
Friday's statement reinforced the nurses' position.
"We agree that a risk assessment must be conducted for every patient interaction to ensure front-line health-care workers have the specific PPE (personal protection equipment) they need," reads the statement, which goes on to say appropriate protective gear "will not be unreasonably denied by their employer."
The agreed statement on the use of personal protection equipment was released after unions met with health authorities on Tuesday.
"I believe everyone's been working really hard to make sure that the right thing happened," Johnson said. "There was a lot of pressure from the unions on both Covenant Health and AHS to recognize the risk situations that they were putting their staff in."
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Friday's statement also emphasizes that N95 masks must be worn by health-care workers during aerosol-generating medical procedures such as intubation and cardio pulmonary resuscitation.
Supply protocol
Health authorities and unions have outlined a plan to maintain a sufficient supply of masks, goggles, gowns and other protective equipment.
Supplies will be monitored as departments "continue to explore all available avenues to obtain and maintain a sufficient supply," the statement says.
If there is an anticipated shortage where it's believed the supply will only last 30 days, health authorities say they will develop a contingency plan in consultation with the unions "to ensure the safety of health-care workers."
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