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. 2021 Nov 1;63(11):913-920.
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002308.

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

Janet W Rich-Edwards  1 , Ming Ding, Carissa M Rocheleau, James M Boiano, Jae H Kang, Iris Becene, Long H Nguyen, Andrew T Chan, Jaime E Hart, Jorge E Chavarro, Christina C Lawson
Affiliations

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

Janet W Rich-Edwards et al. J Occup Environ Med. .

Abstract

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.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Participant flow for invitatoin to COVID-19 survey and inclusion in the current analysis.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Proportion (S.E.) of frontline healthcare personnel during March–May 2020 who always used personal protective equipment (PPE) items, among those who indicated they needed the item for their job, by worksite.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Proportion (S.E.) for use of N95 respirator and/or PAPR (powered air-purifying respirator) among frontline healthcare personnel, during March–May 2020, by worksite.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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