What can healthcare facilities do to minimize the need for disposable N95 respirators?
In order to reduce the need for respiratory protection, healthcare facilities should consider implementation of measures to eliminate or reduce exposure to 2009 H1N1 influenza. Such measures can be organized according to infection control principles and a “hierarchy of controls”, which prioritizes protective measures based on their likelihood of reducing the risk of exposure. Top priorities in this hierarchy are those measures which can effectively eliminate the source of potential exposure such as measures that prevent visits by ill individuals to healthcare facilities where those can be postponed. Where exposures cannot be eliminated, engineering controls should be considered as the primary means for reducing exposure. Engineering controls physically separate, shield or protect healthcare personnel from the sources of exposure. Examples include the use of partitions and barriers to separate potentially ill patients from well providers or use of closed suctioning systems for airways s
