Women in Healthcare & PPE Standards
Considering the relevance of global healthcare, numerous issues have emerged in the fitting of personal protective equipment (PPE) — with the variety of body types, many physicians have found that certain equipment (e.g. gloves, goggles, masks) are not suited for different groups. Notable differences exist between women's and men's biological & anthropometrical structures, questioning the "one-size-fits-all" measure; with this said, is its function truly optimized if it does not account for a physician's ergonomics, form, and body proportions?
While intended to increase protection, improperly fitted PPE may reduce its true efficacy and cause workers to become more susceptible to the dangers of their treated environment, urging manufacturers to be more inclusive in design / structure. Both articles, "Ill-fitting PPE contributes to added stress for women physicians" and "PPE for Nurses: A Bad Fit for Women," authored by Sara Berg and Debra Wood (respectively), stress this message from a female's standpoint.
Feel free to take some time to read more about the matter through the following articles:
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