Keep Infectious Diseases Away With Duct Tape!
Now this is something that you probably would not expect to see in your first aid kit, or your emergency stash of items to combat infectious diseases: a trusty roll of duct tape.
A news release from the Association for Professional Infection Control and Epidemiology, however, pointed out the usefulness of duct tape against the spread of infectious diseases.
The results of a study utilizing duct tape in creating “safe zones” where healthcare workers could talk to patients afflicted with infectious diseases, which was conducted by an infection prevention team from the Trinity Medical Center in the Quad Cities along the Illinois and Iowa border, were presented by the research team during a conference of the Association.
A feature on the Los Angeles Times shared the following explanation from the Association’s news release: “The study revealed that by utilizing this safe zone, their hospitals were able to save time, money in unused gowns and gloves, and that the quality and frequency of communication between healthcare professionals and isolated patients increased.”
The LA Times post shared further that this is not exactly the first – and only – health-related use of the duct tape. A Reader’s Digest guide offered the following suggestion in times when you need a bandage and one is not available: “You’ve gotten a bad scrape. Here’s how to protect it until you get a proper bandage. Fold tissue paper or paper towel to cover the wound and cover this with duct tape. It may not be attractive, but it works in a jam.”
Other potential health-related applications of the duct tape, according to TheZac.com, is for blister repair or for prosthetics, although the Times was quick to clarify that they were not exactly endorsing these uses.
Tags: duct tape, first aid, infectious disease, safe zone
