P1453 - Gastroenterologists’ Perceptions of Adequacy of PPE During the COVID Pandemic: Results From a US National Survey

Reem Q. Al Shabeeb, MD¹, Esther Lee, BS², Muhammad El Shatanofy, BS³, Erika Pashai, MD³, Ivy Benjenk, PhD³, Marian Sherman, MD³, Eric Heinz, MD, PhD³, David Yamane, MD³, Marie L. Borum, MD, EdD, MPH^3
1Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA; ²Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA; ³George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC

Introduction: Given that endoscopies are aerosolizing procedures that increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission, gastroenterology societies published a joint statement regarding the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The recommendations included the use of N95 respirators, nitrile gloves, impervious gowns, face shield/eye protections, and head coverings. As PPE availability was a concern during the pandemic, this study investigates gastroenterologists’ perceptions of PPE adequacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: In this IRB-approved multi-center cross-sectional study, we used a snowball sampling approach to disseminate a 42-question survey, pilot-tested for reliability and validity, to gastroenterologists across different geographic locations in the USA. The survey asked for physician demographic information along with information about PPE adequacy. Fear levels during first and subsequent COVID-19 upper and lower endoscopic procedures were assessed using a 1 to 10 Likert scale. Data was analyzed using Pearson’s chi-squared, Mann-Whitney U, and Wilcoxon rank tests.

Results: 69 responses from gastroenterologists at 30 hospitals were analyzed. The majority (91.3%) of providers felt that PPE was adequate during both upper and lower endoscopic procedures. Those reporting inadequate PPE had a higher fear level during their first lower COVID-19 endoscopic procedure (mean=8.67, SD=1.528 vs mean=4.91, SD=2.658; p=0.021). During upper endoscopies, the majority of providers wore N95 (88.4%), gown (87%), full face shield / eye protectors (78.3%) and hair cover (62.3%). During lower endoscopies, the majority of providers wore N95 (81.2%), gown (79.7%), full face shield / eye protectors (76.8%) and hair cover (60.9%). There were no differences in PPE use across physician age, gender or geographic location.

Discussion: Despite the reported differences in PPE availability during the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of gastroenterologists felt that the supply was adequate. As the COVID-19 pandemic decreased elective endoscopic procedures with one study reporting a decline by 90 %, PPE adequacy may be due to resource allocation for providers performing emergent endoscopies. Physicians who reported PPE adequacy had lower fear with endoscopic procedures during the pandemic. These finding are similar to previous survey of providers performing intubations on OVID-19 patients.


Disclosures:


Reem Q. Al Shabeeb, MD¹, Esther Lee, BS², Muhammad El Shatanofy, BS³, Erika Pashai, MD³, Ivy Benjenk, PhD³, Marian Sherman, MD³, Eric Heinz, MD, PhD³, David Yamane, MD³, Marie L. Borum, MD, EdD, MPH³. P1453 - Gastroenterologists’ Perceptions of Adequacy of PPE During the COVID Pandemic: Results From a US National Survey, ACG 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Las Vegas, Nevada: American College of Gastroenterology.