Background

During public health emergencies, demand for N95® filtering facepiece respirators (N95 FFRs) can outpace supply. Elastomeric half mask respirators (EHMRs) are a potential alternative that are reusable and provide the same or higher levels of protection. This study sought to examine the practical aspects of EHMR use among healthcare personnel (HCP).

Methods

Between September and December 2021, 183 HCP at two tertiary referral centers participated in this three-month EHMR deployment, wearing the EHMR whenever respiratory protection was required according to hospital protocols (i.e., when an N95 FFR would typically be worn) and responding to surveys about their experience.

Results

Participants wore EHMRs typically 1-3 hours per shift, reported disinfecting the respirator after 85% of removals, and reported high confidence in using the EHMR following the study. EHMRs caused minimal interference with patient care tasks, though they did inhibit communication.

Discussion

HCP who had not previously worn an EHMR were able to wear it as an alternative to an N95 FFR without much reported interference with their job tasks and with high disinfection compliance.

Conclusion

This study highlights the feasibility of deployment of EHMRs during a public health emergency when an alternative respirator option is necessary.

中文翻译：

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医疗保健中日常使用弹性半面罩呼吸器的提供者经验

背景

在突发公共卫生事件期间，对 N95® 过滤式面罩呼吸器 (N95 FFR) 的需求可能会超过供应。弹性半面罩呼吸器 (EHMR) 是一种潜在的替代品，可重复使用并提供相同或更高级别的保护。本研究旨在探讨医护人员 (HCP) 使用 EHMR 的实际情况。

方法

2021 年 9 月至 12 月期间，两个三级转诊中心的 183 名 HCP 参与了这项为期三个月的 EHMR 部署，只要根据医院协议需要呼吸防护（即通常佩戴 N95 FFR 时），就佩戴 EHMR 并回应调查关于他们的经历。

结果

参与者通常每班佩戴 EHMR 1-3 小时，报告在 85% 的摘除后对呼吸器进行了消毒，并在研究后报告对使用 EHMR 的高度信心。尽管 EHMR 确实抑制了沟通，但对患者护理任务的干扰微乎其微。

讨论

以前从未佩戴过 EHMR 的 HCP 能够佩戴它作为 N95 FFR 的替代品，没有太多报告干扰他们的工作任务，并且消毒合规性很高。

结论

这项研究强调了在公共卫生紧急情况下需要替代呼吸器时部署 EHMR 的可行性。