Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Nov;19(6):582-591.
doi: 10.1089/hs.2021.0098. Epub 2021 Nov 9.

Lessons Learned from the Development and Demonstration of a PPE Inventory Monitoring System for US Hospitals

Emily J Haas  1 , Megan L Casey  1 , Alexa Furek  1 , Kelly Aldrich  1 , Tommy Ragsdale  1 , Spencer Crosswy  1 , Susan M Moore  1
Affiliations

Lessons Learned from the Development and Demonstration of a PPE Inventory Monitoring System for US Hospitals

Emily J Haas et al. Health Secur. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

An international system should be established to support personal protective equipment (PPE) inventory monitoring, particularly within the healthcare industry. In this article, the authors discuss the development and 15-week deployment of a proof-of-concept prototype that included the use of a Healthcare Trust Data Platform to secure and transmit PPE-related data. Seventy-eight hospitals participated, including 66 large hospital systems, 11 medium-sized hospital systems, and a single hospital. Hospitals reported near-daily inventory information for N95 respirators, surgical masks, and face shields, ultimately providing 159 different PPE model numbers. Researchers cross-checked the data to ensure the PPE could be accurately identified. In cases where the model number was inaccurately reported, researchers corrected the numbers whenever possible. Of the PPE model numbers reported, 74.2% were verified-60.5% of N95 respirators, 40.0% of face shields, and 84.0% of surgical masks. The authors discuss the need to standardize how PPE is reported, possible aspects of a PPE data standard, and standards groups who may assist with this effort. Having such PPE data standards would enable better communication across hospital systems and assist in emergency preparedness efforts during pandemics or natural disasters.

Keywords: Data platforms and standards; Hospital preparedness/response; Medical device interoperability; Personal protective equipment; Public health preparedness/response; Supply chain management.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Illustration of the long-term vision of the Healthcare Trust Data Platform and its ability to support nationwide data sharing and analysis that supports medical device interoperability. The current study only evaluated the hospitals as the data source and the quality of the data that was produced. Additional information from this figure would need to be evaluated in the future. Abbreviations: CA, conformity assessment and declaration; FDA, Food and Drug Administration; H, hospitals; NIOSH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; PPE, personal protective equipment; S, static and dynamic stockpiles; SD, PPE standards development organizations.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Illustration of N95 filtering facepiece respirator verification results. Abbreviations: FDA, Food and Drug Administration; NIOSH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Illustration of face shield verification results. Abbreviation: PAPR, powered air-purifying respirator.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Illustration of surgical mask verification results.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment by major industry sector Updated September 8, 2021. Accessed October 7, 2021. https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/employment-by-major-industry-sector.htm
    1. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hierarchy of controls Published January 13, 2015. Accessed October 20, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/hierarchy/default.html
    1. Gamage B, Moore D, Copes R, Yassi A, Bryce E; BC Interdisciplinary Respiratory Protection Study Group. Protecting health care workers from SARS and other respiratory pathogens: a review of the infection control literature. Am J Infect Control 2005;33(2):114–121. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Loeb M, McGeer A, Henry B, et al. SARS among critical care nurses. Emerg Infect Dis 2004;10(2):251–255. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wise ME, De Perio M, Halpin J, et al. Transmission of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza to healthcare personnel in the United States. Clin Infect Dis 2011;52(suppl 1):S198–S204. - PubMed