As the COVID-19 pandemic spread quickly, a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) compromised efficient patient care and provider safety (Lancet 2020;395e90-1). Across the country, coalitions of volunteers, including designers, engineers, and members of the maker community, such as GetUsPPE.org and Make4Covid.co, helped design, manufacture, and distribute essential equipment for health care workers and first responders. With the temporary closure of production facilities and disruption of international supply chains during the pandemic, such efforts enabled the procurement of scarce supplies through creative problem-solving like 3D printing.
Before taking advantage of these resources, health care entities had to account for several issues. For example, demand for PPE needed to be anticipated and products procured through non-standard sources needed to be assessed for compliance with applicable regulatory policies and distributed to the places in need. Anesthesiologists were vital in coordinating these efforts; for instance, by providing input on the...
