The global situation caused by a coronavirus in 2020 has become an unprecedented
health crisis. Since 1918, during the Spanish flu, Brazilian society haven’t seen a
pandemic disease. Among the many individuals exposed to the virus, healthcare
professionals are essential workers who fight the disease. However, due to the lack of
previous investments in the public health sector in Brazil, several obstacles are
evident, such as the reduced number of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
available for healthcare professionals who have direct contact with those affected by
the disease. Therefore, undergraduate students and professors from UFPA
(Universidade Federal do Pará – Federal University of Pará) Biomedical Engineering
program course mobilized to create solutions to this problem through the study and
production of a low-cost face shield model, which proved to be essential in helping
professionals, in addition to engaging several students in the social causes. Similar
initiatives like this took place in states in southeastern Brazil, through the making of
PPE in 3D printers from PLA (polylactic acid) or ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
filaments, which can take hours to be ready. Therefore, the present study presents a
handmade model to promote higher cost-benefit and shorter manufacturing time. To
measure how this PPE proposed here affected the daily work of these professionals,
this study performed a feedback form focused on the professionals who used the
handmade model. Also, a comparison between the 3D printed vs the handmade model
was done. The study showed that 69,5% of the respondents, which were professionals
working in the health field, felt more protected with the handmade face shield. Finally,
for this research, it is possible to say that the handmade faceshields have proven to
be effective, providing confidence when used by the research participants.
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