Factors Relevant to Elastomeric Respirator Selection and Use in Healthcare Identified by Qualitative Data Methods

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gucer P ; Hines SE ; McDiarmid, Melissa A. ; Mueller N ; Oliver M
• Description:
  Background: Elastomeric respirators (elastomerics) may serve as one alternative to disposable N95 respirator use in healthcare. We explored factors which drove elastomeric adoption and continued use in a large academic medical center. Methods: We conducted semi-structured and focus group interviews in 2015 with a) 11 leadership key informants (KIs) with involvement in the respiratory protection program (RPP) when elastomerics were introduced and b) 11 healthcare workers (HCWs) recruited from hospital departments assigned to use elastomerics. Interview transcripts and responses were open-coded to capture emergent themes, which were collapsed into broader categories and iteratively refined. Results: Factors identified by leadership KIs as influencing elastomeric adoption included: 1) N95 shortages during 2009's H1N1 influenza pandemic and 2) respirator subject matter knowledge of the safety staff. Factors identified as influencing ongoing use of elastomerics included: 1) cleaning/decontamination practices, 2) storage, 3) safety culture, 4) HCW respirator knowledge, and 5) risk perception. HCW users expressed dissatisfaction related to breathing, communication and cleaning of elastomerics. Other themes included convenience use of N95s rather than assigned elastomerics, despite perceptions that elastomerics are more protective. Conclusions: Semi-structured and focus group interviews are validated qualitative methods that can identify key elements for inclusion in questionnaires intended for quantitative surveys. Through these methods, we learned that 1) leadership introduced elastomerics due to necessity but now face challenges related to ongoing use, and 2) HCWs were unsatisfied with elastomerics and preferentially used N95s out of convenience. Although the impetus behind incorporation of elastomerics was clear, the most complex themes related to sustainability of this form of RPP. These themes were used to inform a broader questionnaire to be deployed to the full HCW respirator user population and will address the utility of elastomerics as a feasible and desirable practical alternative to N95s in healthcare. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Communicable Diseases Disaster Planning Emergencies Health Personnel Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Airborne Particles Emergency Preparedness Equipment Reliability Health Care Workers Infection Prevention Infectious Diseases Personal Protective Equipment PPE Questionnaires Respirator Testing
• Publisher:
  International Society for Respiratory Protection (ISRP)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20052296
• Citation:
  ISRP Yokohama 2016. ISRP 18th International Conference, Yokohama, Japan, November 7-11, 2016. Yokohama, Japan: International Society for Respiratory Protection (ISRP), 2016 Nov; :1
• Contact Point Address:
  Stella Hines, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 11 South Paca Street, Suite 200, Baltimore, MD, USA
• Email:
  shines@medicine.umaryland.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  University of Maryland, Baltimore
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20140901
• Source Full Name:
  ISRP Yokohama 2016. ISRP 18th International Conference, Yokohama, Japan, November 7-11, 2016
• End Date:
  20170930
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:67cf19902aa3cf93b390b38af750f5ab89955bae3e632c722290d999c18c95f4cef9f94fcebd5d30df5a4bb2d8814b93f7d1e3dae8b3cfd71a662e0c69a8296c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211845/cdc_211845_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 203.98 KB ]