Fit-testing of respiratory protective equipment in the UK during the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic
| Autor: | A. Gani, M. Bailey, O. Brown, Caroline B. Hing, S. Green |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Microbiology (medical)
0303 health sciences medicine.medical_specialty Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) 030306 microbiology business.industry Public health Ethnic group Fit testing Small sample General Medicine 030501 epidemiology National health service 03 medical and health sciences Infectious Diseases Family medicine Health care Pandemic medicine 0305 other medical science business |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Hospital Infection. 113:180-186 |
| ISSN: | 0195-6701 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jhin.2021.04.024 |
| Popis: | BACKGROUND: Public Health England guidance stipulates the use of filtering facepiece (FFP3) masks for healthcare workers engaged in aerosol-generating procedures. Mask fit-testing of respiratory protective equipment is essential to protect healthcare workers from aerosolized particles. AIM: To analyse the outcome of mask fit-testing across National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in the UK during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: Using the Freedom of Information Act, 137 NHS hospitals were approached on May 26th, 2020 by an independent researcher to provide data on the outcome of fit-testing at each site. FINDINGS: Ninety-six hospitals responded to the request between May 26th, 2020 to October 29th, 2020. There was a total of 86 mask types used across 56 hospitals, 13 of which were used in at least 10% of these hospitals; the most frequently used was the FFP3M1863, used by 92.86% of hospitals. Overall fit-testing pass rates were provided by 32 hospitals with mean pass rate of 80.74%. The most successful masks, in terms of fit-test failure rates, were the Alpha Solway 3030V and the Alpha Solway S-3V (both reporting mean fit-test failures of 2%). Male- and female-specific pass and failure rates were provided by seven hospitals. Across the seven hospitals, 20.1% of men tested failed the fit-test for all masks used, whereas 19.9% of women tested failed the fit-test for all masks used. Failure rates were significantly higher in staff from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds 644/2507 (25.69%) across four hospitals. CONCLUSION: Twenty percent of healthcare workers tested during the first response to the pandemic failed fit-testing for masks. A small sample revealed that this was most prominent in staff from BAME backgrounds. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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