How the Maker Community reacted to PPE Shortages

Following COVID-19’s evolution from epidemic to pandemic, fear of PPE shortages in hospitals quickly became a reality for many countries across the world which has yet to subside. The 3D printing industry reacted quickly. In the last year we’ve seen several additive manufacturing companies responding to this shortage with a variety of exceptional innovations. It was not, however, companies alone which came to the rescue. There were several grassroots initiatives spawning from the maker community which not only responded quickly but mobilised in large numbers. Across the world makers were turning their homes, schools and workplaces into makeshift PPE factories.

Last year, volunteer maker communities banded together. A report by Open Source Medical Supplies (OSMS) and Nation Of Makers (NOM) recorded over 42’000 citizen responders and 1’869 local response groups across 86 countries, delivering over 48.3 million units of medical supplies, worth over $270 million, 32.4% of which were 3D printed. This was enabled by several non-profit organisations who developed methods to connect makers and supply them with designs and instructions for medical grade PPE. OSMS has created an open source design library and guidance to support local groups in effectively organizing fabrication and distribution efforts to meet the local demand for COVID-19 supplies. All designs are medically reviewed, you can find the library here. OSMS also compiled research on what kinds of PPE should be used in what circumstances in order to minimise risk of infection. This has allowed volunteer makers to optimise PPE.

Global Maker Impact Report 2020 (Credit: Open Source Medical Supplies & Nation of Makers)

Why is PPE so important?

PPE, or Personal Protective Equipment, is essential for the protection of health care workers from exposure to coronavirus. PPE includes masks, respirators, face shields, gloves, goggles, gowns, and other equipment. Without PPE our first line of defence against the COVID-19 is made vulnerable. In May 2020, the Federal government set a goal to obtain 300 million N95 masks for front line health workers. By mid-November this goal was not even halfway achieved, with only 142 million masks secured. National Nurses United, the US’s largest union of registered nurses, released a survey at the end of November reporting that only 16.% of nurses in hospitals said they had universal PPE in the emergency department. Moreover, by November roughly 70% of facilities had completely run out of one or more types of PPE for the third month in a row. These statistics only serve to prove that the global supply shortage has worsened rather than improved. There has been a market failure. Governments have been unable to meet the demand with current supply chain methods. Ali Raja, an emergency-room doctor who co-founded Get Us PPE, the nation’s largest nonprofit founded by emergency physicians to give donated PPE to organisations that need it, said “the disconnect between what’s purported to be in the stockpile and the needs on the front-line is astounding.”