Reusable respirators as good as disposable respirators to combat Covid 19

"Training and fit testing healthcare providers on respirators can be time consuming, and in an epidemic we want to train and fit test a large number of workers quickly," said first and corresponding author Dr. Lisa A. Pompeii, professor of pediatrics - epidemiology at Baylor.

In this study, the researchers compared the time it takes to fit test and train healthcare personnel in the use of disposable respirators versus reusable elastomeric half-mask respirators that provide the same level of respiratory protection as N95 respirators. They found that healthcare personnel learned to use the reusable respirator quickly and that it took no more time to fit test them than it would take a disposable respirator.

"Our study shows that training and fit testing workers on these reusable respirators does not represent a barrier for possible use by hospitals," Pompeii said. "An advantage of reusable respirators is that there is no need to stockpile them."

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.4806