What should hospitals do if they don’t have a sufficient supply of N95 respirators for nurses and other direct health care workers?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that some facilities are currently experiencing shortages of respiratory protection equipment, and further shortages are anticipated. A key strategy is to use “source control” — engineering and administrative measures to limit the number of workers coming in contact with patients who have influenza-like illness to reduce consumption of respiratory protection equipment. Facilities that have made reasonable efforts to obtain a sufficient supply, but still have a shortage of N95 respirators, can consider implementing a “prioritized respirator use” mode.
Related Questions
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