Health care workers' views about respirator use and features that should be included in the next generation of respirators

Baig, Aliya S.; Knapp, Caprice; Eagan, Aaron; Radonovich, Lewis J.

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2009.09.005

Cited by 113 publications

(121 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Interestingly, there was only one subject who mentioned the presence of moisture, a characteristic that has been reported as a major deterrent to respirator use. (22) This tends to agree with observations from the Roberge et al (23) study that found only minimal moisture (∼0.10 g) was retained on an N95 FFR after a subject's walking on a treadmill for an hour while wearing a respirator. However, given that the subjects only wore the FFR for ∼ 30 min in this study, this finding may not be surprising.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Impact of Three Biological Decontamination Methods on Filtering Facepiece Respirator Fit, Odor, Comfort, and Donning Ease

Viscusi

Bergman²,

Novak

et al. 2011

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

137

255

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The objective of this study was to determine if ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI), moist heat incubation (MHI), or microwave-generated steam (MGS) decontamination affects the fitting characteristics, odor, comfort, or donning ease of six N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) models. For each model, 10 experienced test subjects qualified for the study by passing a standard OSHA quantitative fit test. Once qualified, each subject performed a series of fit tests to assess respirator fit and completed surveys to evaluate odor, comfort, and donning ease with FFRs that were not decontaminated (controls) and with FFRs of the same model that had been decontaminated. Respirator fit was quantitatively measured using a multidonning protocol with the TSI PORTACOUNT Plus and the N95 Companion accessory (designed to count only particles resulting from face to face-seal leakage). Participants' subjective appraisals of the respirator's odor, comfort, and donning ease were captured using a visual analog scale survey. Wilcoxon signed rank tests compared median values for fit, odor, comfort, and donning ease for each FFR and decontamination method against their respective controls for a given model. Two of the six FFRs demonstrated a statistically significant reduction (p< 0.05) in fit after MHI decontamination. However, for these two FFR models, post-decontamination mean fit factors were still ≥ 100. One of the other FFRs demonstrated a relatively small though statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) in median odor response after MHI decontamination. These data suggest that FFR users with characteristics similar to those in this study population would be unlikely to experience a clinically meaningful reduction in fit, increase in odor, increase in discomfort, or increased difficulty in donning with the six FFRs included in this study after UVGI, MHI, or MGS decontamination. Further research is needed before decontamination of N95 FFRs for purposes of reuse can be recommended.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Impact of Three Biological Decontamination Methods on Filtering Facepiece Respirator Fit, Odor, Comfort, and Donning Ease

Viscusi

Bergman²,

Novak

et al. 2011

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

137

255

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Multiple studies have demonstrated that HCWs, in general, comply poorly with respiratory protection guidelines, especially when a N95 respirator is recommended 24 . However, a recently published randomized Canadian study demonstrated that the incidence of laboratory‐confirmed influenza was similar in HCWs wearing a surgical mask compared with HCWs wearing a N95 mask 5 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes of influenza-vaccinated health care workers toward masks to prevent nosocomial transmission of influenza

Brandt

Rabenau

Wicker

2010

Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses

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Please cite this paper as: Brandt et al. (2010) Attitudes of influenza‐vaccinated health care workers toward masks to prevent nosocomial transmission of influenza. . Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 5(1), 61–66. Background Influenza viruses are highly contagious. Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk of occupational exposure to influenza and may transmit the infection to their patients and coworkers. Objectives The aim of the study was to characterize the attitudes of HCWs regarding the use of surgical masks to prevent nosocomial influenza transmission. Furthermore, we assessed the informational needs of HCWs with regard to infection control measures. Methods A survey was conducted among HCWs, using an anonymous questionnaire, at a German University Hospital during an influenza vaccination campaign. Results Overall, 40·5% of the HCWs were vaccinated against seasonal influenza, and 35·2% were vaccinated against Influenza A/H1N1 (“swine flu”). In total, 1445 vaccinees completed the anonymous questionnaire. Of all respondents, 70·5% stated that the infection control recommendation “wearing a surgical” mask was appropriate to avoid influenza transmission. The percentage of HCWs who would like to have had more information about the infection control measures was 67·5%. Conclusions Appropriate interventions ought to be taken to reduce the risk of exposure to influenza viruses among HCWs. Adherence to recommendations for the use of masks among HCWs needs to be evaluated. Further work is required to highlight the informational needs of HCWs to gain an appreciation of infection control measures.

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“…Results of a recent survey of health care workers indicated that improved compliance might be observed with more comfortable respirators that diminish heat buildup and interfere less with breathing. (35) …”

Section: Respiratory Protection Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of Conventional and Antimicrobial-Treated Filtering Facepiece Respirators Challenged with Biological Aerosols

Lore

Sebastian

Brown

et al. 2012

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

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Health care workers' views about respirator use and features that should be included in the next generation of respirators

Abstract: To increase substantially the acceptance of respiratory protective equipment and improve compliance rates, respirators should be modified to meet the specific needs of health care workers.

Cited by 113 publications

References 39 publications

Impact of Three Biological Decontamination Methods on Filtering Facepiece Respirator Fit, Odor, Comfort, and Donning Ease

Impact of Three Biological Decontamination Methods on Filtering Facepiece Respirator Fit, Odor, Comfort, and Donning Ease

Attitudes of influenza-vaccinated health care workers toward masks to prevent nosocomial transmission of influenza

Performance of Conventional and Antimicrobial-Treated Filtering Facepiece Respirators Challenged with Biological Aerosols

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