The ASTM International committees on medical and surgical materials and devices (F04) and personal protective equipment (PPE) (F23) are sponsoring the virtual Workshop on Fast-Tracking Standards Development to address PPE Shortages Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Sept. 9 – 10, 2020, to be held via WebEx, states the organization’s announcement.
Many groups are working to address medical device shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including shortages of PPE like respirators, masks and gowns, and other devices like ventilators and nasal swabs. Approaches to alleviate shortages include repurposing or reprocessing existing devices and materials and designing and producing new devices in rapid fashion.
The primary objective of this workshop is to leverage these efforts to identify subjects for new standards to address PPE shortages for the current pandemic and possible future outbreaks. These new standards could assist in managing future waves of infection as well as shortages that might occur due to decreased or disrupted supply chains.
This workshop will provide a forum for engineers, scientists, and medical professionals worldwide to exchange ideas and identify areas for needed standards development on the following topics:
· Reprocessing single-use PPE and reusable PPE,
· Current issues with decontaminating single-use PPE,
· Cleaning, decontamination, sterilization, and
· Standard used
· Producing or assessing performance of devices and device components that are in short supply,
· Masks, respirators, and face shields,
· Both traditional device designs and novel designs involving materials that are at hand,
· Redesigning single-use PPE for potential re-use during surges, and more.
· Sharing perspectives on how existing standards helped address device shortages, or how they could have provided more assistance
