Abstract
Objectives: The provision of high-quality personal protective equipment (PPE) has been a critical challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated an alternative strategy, mass deployment of a powered air-purifying respirator (PeRSo), in a large university hospital.Methods: We performed prospective user feedback via questionnaires sent to healthcare workers (HCWs) issued PeRSos, economic analysis, and evaluated the real-world impact.Results: Where paired responses were available, PeRSo was preferred over droplet precautions for comfort, patient response, overall experience, and subjective feeling of safety. For all responses, more participants reported the overall experience being rated “Very good” more frequently for PeRSo. The primary limitation identified was impairment of hearing. Economic simulation exercises revealed that the adoption of PeRSo within ICU is associated with net cost savings in the majority of scenarios and savings increased progressively with greater ITU occupancy. In evaluation during the second UK wave, over 3,600 respirators were deployed, all requested by staff, which were associated with a low staff absence relative to most comparator hospitals.Conclusions: Health services should consider a widespread implementation of powered reusable respirators as a safe and sustainable solution for the protection of HCWs as SARS-CoV-2 becomes an endemic viral illness.
Highlights
In early 2020, the emerging respiratory virus epidemic, which was first identified in China, rapidly spread across the world [1]
Each PeRSo was allocated to a staff member at UHS based on the risk of exposure and current supplies of protective equipment (PPE), so allocations were initially to staff from wards caring for confirmed SARS-CoV-2positive patients, followed by emergency department staff caring for patients on unknown infection status
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented demand for PPE to protect healthcare workers (HCWs) around the world [10], as hospitals rapidly filled with acutely unwell patients suffering from a new respiratory virus with airborne transmission [2]
Summary
In early 2020, the emerging respiratory virus epidemic, which was first identified in China, rapidly spread across the world [1]. While there was some initial uncertainty about the mode of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, a consensus has emerged that airborne transmission plays an important role [2]. In countries affected early in the pandemic, high rates of infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) were reported, with notable deaths of relatively young members of staff, despite an otherwise strong age-dependent effect on mortality [3]. New variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have emerged, which show signs of antigen escape [5], leading to projections that the virus may become an endemic, seasonal disease [6]. There is an emerging need for longterm, sustainable PPE solutions with high efficacy to protect HCW from infection
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