User Acceptance of Reusable Respirators in Health Care

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brown C ; Chang J ; Frisch M ; Gucer P ; Hines SE ; Hogan R ; McDiarmid, Melissa A. ; Oliver M ; Roth T
• Description:
  Background: Inclusion of reusable respirators, such as elastomeric half-face respirators (EHFRs) and powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs), in hospital respiratory protection inventories may represent 1 solution to the problem of N95 respirator shortages experienced during pandemics. User acceptance of these devices is 1 potential barrier to implementing such a strategy in respiratory protection programs. Methods: To assess user attitudes toward various respirators, health care workers enrolled in respiratory protection programs in a medical system using EHFRs, N95s, and PAPRs and completed an online questionnaire that addressed attitudes, beliefs, and respirator preferences under different risk scenarios. Responses were compared between user groups. Results: Of 1,152 participants, 53% currently used N95s, 24% used EHFRs, and 23% used PAPRs. N95 users rated their respirators more favorably compared with EHFR and PAPR users (P < .001) regarding comfort and communication, however, EHFR users rated their respirators much more highly regarding sense of protection (P < .001). For all user groups, reusable respirators were significantly more likely (odds ratios 2.3-7.7) to be preferred over N95 filtering facepiece respirators in higher risk scenarios compared to "usual circumstance" scenarios. Conclusions: Despite somewhat less favorable ratings on comfort and communication, experienced EHFR and PAPR users still prefer reusable respirators over N95s in certain higher risk scenarios. This suggests that reusable respirators are an acceptable alternative to N95 respirators in health care and offer 1 viable solution to prevent pandemic-generated respirator shortages. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Communicable Diseases Disaster Planning Elastomers Emergencies Health Personnel Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires

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• Keywords:
  Airborne Particles Attitude Author Keywords: Elastomeric Respirator Comfort Elastomeric Half-mask Respirators Emergency Preparedness Equipment Reliability Health Care Workers Infection Control Infection Prevention Infectious Diseases N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators N95 Respirator PAPR Personal Protective Equipment Powered Air-purifying Respirator Powered Air Purifying Respirator PPE Preference Protection Protective Measures Questionnaires Respirators Respirator Selection Respirator Testing Respiratory Equipment Risk Factors

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• ISSN:
  0196-6553
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  47
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059529
• Citation:
  Am J Infect Control 2019 Jun; 47(6):648-655
• Contact Point Address:
  Stella E Hines, MD, MSPH, Department of Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, The University of Maryland-Baltimore, School of Medicine, 11 South Paca St, Ste 200, Baltimore, MD 21201
• Email:
  shines@som.umaryland.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  University of Maryland, Baltimore
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20140901
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Infection Control
• End Date:
  20170930
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a6d83f3df315f2c49b5c988059678c56b6ac7168e6d4b98197960714990ef136c8fdd2fc7da74d3eefd067a02dc33e15aa38570e53b9a59d122cc3ccc497b6b5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223726/cdc_223726_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 747.62 KB ]