Taking the Pressure Off: Ear Savers for Saskatoon’s Frontline Healthcare Workers

Infectious Diseases specialist Dr. Shaqil Peermohamed knows the importance of wearing a mask to prevent the spread of disease. But he also saw the discomfort, pain and damage to ear lobes that frontline healthcare workers were experiencing as a result of wearing masks for the entire duration of their shift, day after day.

So, he reached out to Arden Phillips, CEO of Slif Additive Manufacturing. “I contacted Arden with the idea of producing ear guards for healthcare workers given his expertise innovative approach in design, and he jumped at the opportunity to help out,” says Peermohamed.

With financial support from the COVID-19 Hospital Fund, Peermohamed worked with Phillips to design, prototype and then produce ear guards made from a recyclable material that is sturdy and durable; the ear guards can be safely washed with water and soap, and they are reusable.

Each ear guard acknowledges the support of the local hospital foundations and includes a word of encouragement like compassion or strength. “We thought it was a good opportunity to emphasize how we are all in this together,” says Peermohamed.

More than seven thousand ear guards were distributed to healthcare workers at Saskatoon’s four hospitals, taking the pressure off a lot of earlobes as frontline healthcare workers continue to provide patient care and prevent the spread of COVID-19.