Lock down activities at Aravind-Pondicherry

The whole of Aravind-Pondy team from doctors to cleaning staff are braving the situation patiently and providing selfless support to keep the institute running and functional for emergency patients.

• Overnight, the team worked tirelessly to modify the layout for patient movement within the hospital building right from installing wash basins at the entrance, to the enquiry desk , setting up a triaging clinic right at the entrance, physical distancing of patient’s seating by removing the middle chairs along with ensuring that the facility maintains a well sanitized environment.
• Queue for thermal scanning ensuring social distancing depicted by footprints for patients to follow and masks are provided for ensuring safety and preventing droplet transmission.

• The triage area is set up with a plastic cubicle, in a very well-ventilated manner. The slit lamp is fixed thus, that the chin rest is outside the plastic cubicle and the rest of the slit lamp optics are inside the barrier. The plastic acts as a shield between the doctor and the patient, thereby decreasing the exposure to micro droplets.

• A table fan is placed behind the doctor to prevent droplets transmission during slit lamp examination, by directing air-jet away from doctor’s face. The concept of scribe doctor was introduced to avoid contaminating the keyboards and writing materials by the doctor examining the patient
• As air-conditioning systems contribute to the spread of virus, great care is taken to ensure cross-ventilation inside rooms
• As this pandemic has put the frontline health workers under mounting pressure, E-consultation has mitigated the need for clinicians to be in the same place as patients, thus limiting risk of exposure to COVID-19 virus.
• A UV light room sterilization was designed for sterilizing the triage area in the evening hours after the OPD is over

While majority of the world was engrossed with media, Aravind-Pondy saw this period through innovative eyes.The unusual situation brought out by the COVID-19 pandemic throws several challenges.  Addressing them meant innovating constantly.  These innovations were swiftly put into practice by the tireless efforts of doctors, MLOP, housekeeping and maintenance departments.

DIY face shield:

Ophthalmologists are more susceptible to the exposure as the procedures are all close to patients. Hence to protect themselves and to take care of COVID 19 Suspects, they came up with DIY (Do-It -Yourself) safety face shield.

3D masks:

Proper PPE is imperative in protecting oneself from COVID 19 and due to increased demand, there is a worldwide shortage. To address this, the team has experimented with 3D printed masks and shields.  A mask that achieves a tight seal is provided with a space for attaching a filter (standard filter or N95 filter) which can be replaced after use. The masks can be customized according to face configuration and can be easily disinfected by soap or bleaching solution and thereby reused. This mask provides a good seal thereby being comparable to N95 mask which gives the best protection against COVID-19.

Uvidge:

Hospitals throughout the world are facing a shortage of critical N95 respirator masks..To tackle this, the team came up with a solution of fitting UV lights to freezer box and making it an airtight ultraviolet chamber for optimal decontamination of respirators. The freezer box can contain 40+ respirators for decontamination. Individually marked respirators are sterilized and reused for up to 15 times. This is a simple and environment friendly way to safely reuse respirators.

Auto dispenser for hand sanitizer:

Sanitizing hands is imperative to avoid droplet transmission. Every time the nozzle of the sanitizer is pressed, microbes from the hands of one person can spread to the next person.. To avoid such a chain reaction, an auto dispenser was innovated for hand sanitiser using UPVC pipes and locally available materials. This idea has reached many, all over the world through social media within a short span of time.

Foam stand for face shield: 

To avoid touching unsterile surfaces and prevent scratches on face shield, a foam stand was designed.

Slit lamp shield:

A plastic shield acts as a barrier to the transmission of microbes from respiratory and oral droplets, while the patient is being examined on the slit lamp.

COVID – safe fundus photography: 

To break the transmission chain, fundus camera has been provided sterilizable covers and shields

Safety cabin for MRD: 

To ensure safety of the MRD staff during registration process and enquiring personal details of patients, a separate safety cabin was created.

Covineed:

The whole world has come to a standstill during the lockdown. What used to seem so normal, now feels like a far fetched dream. Daily chores like buying groceries, vegetables became difficult.  After failed attempts at home delivery options/ suspended online services, the team came up with the idea of having Covineed, a temporary in-campus mini store.  By the courtesy of a camp sponsor, necessary things of daily need were ordered on request and arranged in cupboards. Covineed store works from 10AM -1PM everyday with staff following all safety measures and social distancing.

The young and motivated MLOPs constitute a major part in the functioning of the institute. Though they stay far away from their families, their fervor and will to study and work hard never wanes. In these unprecedented times of battling with the COVID-19 threat, they stood strong and dedicated themselves in delivering the emergency services, adhering to all the precautionary measures.  MLOPs, being a vulnerable group, the hospital introduced a set of initiatives to make sure that they remain healthy and safe:

• Number of occupants in the Nurses Hostel was reduced and the first and second year students were relocated to free hospital wards, provided with cots arranged in such a way to maintain social distancing.To ensure that the MLOPs do not feel home-sick, Whatsapp calls with family are allowed once a week.
• Keeping in mind that an “Empty Mind is a Devil’s workshop”, department-wise classes, bhajans and extracurricular activities including art and craft sessions are being organized.  Tests, assignments, project /model works etc are given, in which the MLOPs actively participate as a team. Role plays are encouraged to test their skills and understanding of COVID-19 pandemic. Doctors take sessions on the importance of personal hygiene and safety measures to follow, not just during these days but forever. Educational videos are also screened for improving their knowledge and creating awareness. On the entertainment front, apart from indoor games, arrangements were made for watching television, news and  movies.