1. Purpose of the survey

Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeons are used to working with aerosol generating operating tools. The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the awareness of the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) not only for protecting orthopaedic patients from infections but also staff and surgeon safety. Recent studies have shown that PPE may cause ergonomical stress, impaired communication and also compromise surgical performance. Modifications of PPE have also been reported, which could have implications for the upcoming Medical Device Regulation (MDR) to be launched in 2021.

In order to expand the knowledge and experiences of how orthopaedic and trauma surgeons perceive PPE in their practice an anonymous baseline survey has been compilated and calibrated with the board of the European Federation of National Societies of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (EFORT).

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* 1. Please your country of practice from the list below:

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* 2. How many years have you been practising Orthopaedics and/or Traumatology as a fully qualified surgeon?

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* 3. Are you practising Orthopaedics and/or Traumatology in a

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* 4. Have you ever come in contact with a SARS-Cov2 positive patient in your professional practice (asymptomatic or with symptoms)?

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* 5. Have you ever operated on a COVID-19 patient?

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* 6. Has any colleague or staff member from your department had a PCR test positive for SARS-Cov2 or developed symptoms?

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* 7. Do you consider yourself well informed regarding personal protection equipment for OT surgeons in general?

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* 8. Do you consider yourself well informed regarding personal protection equipment for health care workers in general?

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* 9. Do you consider yourself well informed regarding personal protection equipment for aerosol generating procedures (e.g. orthopaedic and trauma surgery using power tools, pulsatile lavage, electrocautery, radiofrequency)?

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* 10. Are you aware whether relevant guidelines have been introduced for the use of personal protection equipment in either the wards, clinics or operative theatres in your hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic?

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* 11. Are you aware whether relevant guidelines have been introduced for aerosol generating procedures (power tools, pulsatile lavage, electrocautery, radiofrequency) when operating on SARS-Cov2 PCR positive patients?

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* 12. Does your hospital have separate pathways for Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients?

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* 13. Does your hospital routinely use PCR testing for SARS-Cov2 prior surgery?

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* 14. Does your hospital routinely use antigen testing for SARS-Cov2 prior surgery?

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* 15. Have you ever been instructed for the systematic or specific use of personal protection equipment?

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* 16. Are sufficient amounts of masks, face shields, goggles and gloves available in the wards and clinics of your hospital?

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* 17. Which of the following are available in sufficient amounts in the operating theatres of your hospital? (choose more than one if necessary)

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* 18. Have you ever experienced, using personal protection equipment in the theatre, any of the following? (choose more than one if necessary)

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* 19. Is routine surface decontamination performed in any of the following: wards, clinics or operating theatres of your hospital?

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* 20. Has the ventilation system in your operating theatres been checked or improved in order to meet contemporary specifications?

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* 21. Have there been any personal protection equipment shortages in your hospital?

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* 22. In the case that there is personal protection equipment available in your hospital, along with regulations for its use, what is, in your opinion, the level of compliance by surgeons with these regulations?

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* 23. In the case that there is personal protection equipment available in your hospital, along with regulations for its use, what is, in your opinion, the level of compliance by staff in general with these regulations?

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* 24. Has your hospital used self-modified PPE?

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