American Frontline Healthcare Personnel’s Access to and Use of Personal Protective Equipment Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Details

• Personal Author:
  Becene I ; Boiano, James M. ; Chan AT ; Chavarro JE ; Ding M ; Hart JE ; Kang JH ; Lawson, Christina C. ; Nguyen LH ; Rich-Edwards JW ; Rocheleau CM
• Description:
  Objectives: To quantify adequacy of personal protective equipment (PPE) for U.S. healthcare personnel (HCP) at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with infection risk. Methods: March-May 2020 survey of the national Nurses' Health Studies and the Growing Up Today study regarding self-reported PPE access, use and reuse. COVID-19 endpoints included SARS-CoV-2 tests and COVID-19 status predicted from symptoms. Results: Nearly 22% of 22,232 frontline HCP interacting with COVID-19 patients reported sometimes or always lacking PPE. Fifty percent of HCP reported not needing respirators, including 13% of those working in COVID-19 units. Lack of PPE was cross-sectionally associated with two-fold or greater odds of COVID-19 among those who interacted with infected patients. Conclusion: These data show the need to improve the U.S. infection prevention culture of safety when confronting a novel pathogen. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Personal Protective Equipment COVID-19 Health Care Personnel Healthcare Policy Health Personnel Infection Control Infection Prevention Occupational Health Pandemic Personal Protective Equipment Policy PPE SARS-CoV-2 SARS-CoV-2 Infection

  More +
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  63
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20063175
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2021 Nov; 63(11):913-920
• Contact Point Address:
  Janet W. Rich-Edwards, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115 USA
• Email:
  jr33@partners.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20200608
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:65df774368a42e99db42d52dc189d9112b7ce6ed48121d269e2816bbf730aaccf3809657be0604fb1095f2454a0cc63ce21e6cdc03c565888fe9e2463a605327
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/226287/cdc_226287_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 745.34 KB ]