Health and safety

COVID-19: Use of face masks in the community (Ministry of Health) (2022)

Information from the Ministry of Health Manatū Hauora on the use of face masks in the community: https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/covid-19-use-face-masks-community

COVID-19: Vaccines (Ministry of Health) (2022)

We've secured enough COVID-19 vaccines for everyone in New Zealand. Find what you need to know about getting a vaccine, the safety and approval process, types of vaccine and our plan: https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines

Guidance for preventing and controlling COVID-19 outbreaks in New Zealand aged residential care (Health Quality & Safety Commission) (2022)

This guidance document provides practical assistance to aged residential care facilities in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic: https://www.hqsc.govt.nz/resources/resource-library/guidance-for-preventing-and-controlling-covid-19-outbreaks-in-new-zealand-aged-residential-care/

Personal protective equipment use in health care (Ministry of Health) (2022)

This link provides you with the information on using PPE across different settings such as community-based midwives, staff caring for COVID-19 positive patients in hospital: https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-information-specific-audiences/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-central-supply/covid-19-infection-prevention-and-control-recommendations-health-and-disability-care-workers

Advice for the public: When and how to use face masks (World Health Organization) (2021)

Videos and infographics from the WHO on fabric and disposable masks, including how to make a three-layer fabric mask and how to launder this mask. These materials are regularly updated based on new scientific findings as the epidemic evolves. Please also refer to the Ministry of Health guidance on the use of masks below: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/when-and-how-to-use-masks

Vaccinating a nation: Ten human factors and ergonomics principles (Charted Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors) (2021)

This information is supplementary to the MOH guidance for vaccinators. It provides 10 human factor based principles to support systems thinking for vaccination programmes that apply across settings. These human factors ergonomic principles relate to the identification and description of work systems (Identify), the improvement of work systems and processes (Improve), and the continuous learning from experience to achieve sustainable change. An infographic explaining the factors is also available. 

How to keep your home bubble safe (Ministry of Health / Health Quality & Safety Commission) (2020)

Guidance on keeping you and your whānau and family safe when you have finished work during the COVID-19 pandemic: https://www.hqsc.govt.nz/resources/resource-library/how-to-keep-your-home-bubble-safe/

How to put on and remove PPE poster (Northern Region Health Coordination Centre) (2020)

This double poster provides key reminders on how to 'put on' and and 'safely remove' your PPE (1.54MB, pdf).

Personal protective equipment and COVID-19 (The New England Journal of Medicine) (2020)

The best way for health care workers to prevent infection with COVID-19 is through training and demonstrated competency in putting on and removing, also known as donning and doffing, personal protective equipment (PPE). This article has useful recommendations, tips and tricks from a human factors perspective for using PPE and includes an eight-minute demonstration video. Various methods of putting on and removing PPE may be acceptable; you should follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and your institution. Produced in America, the first three minutes is relevant to their context, however there are very useful instructions about general PPE donning and doffing, including a description of fit-checking N95 face masks. This video can be used as a general training resource for donning and doffing PPE but viewers from New Zealand should follow local and national protocols and policies: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMvcm2014809?query=C19&cid=DM92300_Catalyst_Registered_Users_and_InActive&bid=201907549

Transmission of COVID-19 and the role of face masks in health settings (Ministry of Health) (2020)

This document (397KB, pdf) provides clarification on when and how health care workers should wear medical/surgical masks correctly. The correct and consistent use of medical/surgical masks will ensure they are available to protect frontline health care workers when they need it.

Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants (WHO) (2022)

All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, change over time. Most changes have little to no impact on the virus’ properties. However, some changes may affect the virus’s properties, such as how easily it spreads, the associated disease severity, or the performance of vaccines, therapeutic medicines, diagnostic tools, or other public health and social measures: https://www.who.int/en/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants/

Covid-19: How many variants are there, and what do we know about them? (2021)

Introduces the varieties of COVID-19 variants: https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1971?utm_source=etoc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tbmj&utm_content=weekly&utm_term=20210820

Impact of Delta on viral burden and vaccine effectiveness against new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the UK (2021)

Approved as latest evidence of effectives (August 2021): https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/files/coronavirus/covid-19-infection-survey/finalfinalcombinedve20210816.pdf

Wound care society COVID-19 webpage preventing PI when wearing PPE (New Zealand Wound Care Society)

This website provides key information for clinical staff wearing PPE th to reduce the risk of PI. NOTE fit testing for N95/P2 respirators must undertaken with any protective skin dressing in situ if used: https://www.nzwcs.org.nz/index.php

Advisory statement for New Zealand primary care skin cancer practice during the COVID-19 pandemic (Skin Cancer College Australasia) (2020)

An advisory statement for New Zealand primary care skin cancer practice during the COVID-19 pandemic prepared by the Skin Cancer College Australasia. It provides guidance for practitioners and their staff during COVID-19 pandemic alert levels 1–4. Each practitioner is recommended to interpret this statement in the context of their local situation which may evolve over time, and that some of the included links may also be removed from their source as the levels change: https://www.skincancercollege.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SCCA-Advisory-Statement-COVID-19_V1.0_FINAL_22Apr2020.pdf

Checklists to support staff in high-risk clinical procedures (Capital & Coast DHB) (2020)

Checklists developed by Capital and Coast DHB to help health care workers with the necessary steps when intubating patients in the emergency department, intensive care unit or operating theatre.

• Intubation checklist – emergency department (269KB, pdf)
• Intubation checklist – intensive care unit (529KB, pdf)
• Intubation checklist – theatre adult (404KB, pdf)
• Intubation checklist – theatre paediatric (403KB, pdf)

Intubation checklist (Starship Children's Health) (2020)

The COVID intubation guideline  (222KB, pdf) from Starship provides a useful checklist for paediatrics; it is important whenever performing intubation to ensure adequate hand hygiene and appropriate use of PPE. The accompanying video demonstrates use of the checklist using appropriate PPE.

World Hand Hygiene Day poster (Hand Hygiene New Zealand) (2020)

A new posterfrom Hand Hygiene New Zealand is available for any health care setting or business, to remind people of the importance of hand hygiene.

World Hand Hygiene Day 2020: Nurses and midwives, clean care is in your hands! (WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region) (2020)

An animated infographic highlighting the role of nurses and midwives amid the COVID-19 pandemic. You can also watch the video on YouTube.

Airway checklists (Waitemata DHB)

These checklists and demonstration video from Waitemata DHB help health care workers with the necessary steps to intubate a patient in a negative pressure room.

• Anteroom checklist (587KB, pdf)
• Clinician checklist (3.1MB, pdf)
• Demonstration video

Hand hygiene resources (Health Quality & Safety Commission)

The Commission is making the hand hygiene resources below available free-of-charge, until stocks run out. After this, PDFs of the resources will continue to be available. Hard copy resources can be ordered here: http://bit.ly/orderhandhygiene.

• Poster: Are you giving germs a hand?
• Poster: Germ hotspots
• Poster: Wash your hands
• Poster: How to hand wash
• Poster: How to hand rub
• Poster: Your 5 moments for hand hygiene

Prevention of central line-associated bacteraemia poster and factsheet (Health Quality & Safety Commission)

This how-to guide, posterand factsheetprovide information about prevention of central line-associated bacteraemia.

Prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (Health Quality & Safety Commission)

This factsheet provides information about how to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) using an evidence-based practice VAP bundle.