Percentage of hospitals that adhered to the OSHA’s requirements
| Hospital adherence rate (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OSHA RPP element and REACH II questionnaire item | HM | UM | HCW | |
| Hospital-level adherence threshold | 50% | 50% | 50% | 75% |
| Written RPP | ||||
| 1. Does your facility have a written RPP? (adherent: yes) | 100.0 | 97.8 | 99.0 | 78.6 |
| Medical evaluation and clearance | ||||
| 2. HMs/UMs: Do employees receive medical evaluation and clearance before being allowed to wear a respirator? HCWs: Did you receive medical evaluation and clearance before wearing a respirator? (adherent: yes) | 97.9 | 96.8 | 97.4 | 90.8 |
| 3. HMs/UMs: How frequently are employees medically evaluated? HCWs: How frequently are you medically evaluated? (adherent: once at hire, then as required by a physician [based on medical necessity]) | 11.0 | 4.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Fit testing | ||||
| 4. HMs/UMs: Do employees receive fit testing before being allowed to wear a respirator? HCWs: Did you receive fit testing before being allowed to wear an N95 respirator? (adherent: yes) | 98.9 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 95.9 |
| 5. HMs/UMs: How often do most employees receive fit testing after hire? HCWs: How often do you receive fit testing? (adherent: once at hire and then annually) | 92.3* | 100.0* | 93.9 | 76.3 |
| 6. HMs/UMs: Are employees allowed to wear an N95 respirator model or size for which they have not received a fit test? HCWs: Are you allowed to wear an N95 respirator model or size for which they have not received a fit test? (adherent: no) | 97.9 | 95.7 | 98.0 | 83.7 |
| 7. HMs/UMs: How do employees know which model(s) and size(s) of respirators they have been fit tested for? HCWs: How do you know which model(s) and size(s) of respirators you have been fit tested for? (adherent: they are given a written copy of their fit test results or they are given a pocket card [or other reminder]) | 67.0 | 68.1 | 53.5 | 28.6 |
| 8. HMs/UMs: What happens if an employee cannot be successfully fit tested? HCWs: What happens if you cannot be successfully fit tested? (adherent: they are put into a PAPR or they are reassigned to a lower-risk job classification) | 89.4 | 88.3 | 60.6 | 26.5 |
| Training | ||||
| 9. HMs/UMs: Does your facility offer employees training in how to properly use respiratory protection? HCWs: Does your facility offer you training in how to properly use respiratory protection? (adherent: yes) | 98.5* | 98.5* | 100.0 | 92.9* |
| 10. HMs/UMs: Do employees receive training about when to wear respiratory protection? (adherent: yes) | 98.9 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 98.6* |
| 11. HMs/UMs: Are employees permitted to wear a respirator without training? HCWs: Are you permitted to wear a respirator without training? (adherent: no) | 97.9 | 96.8 | 90.9 | 69.4 |
| 12. HMs/UMs: How often are employees required to attend respirator training? HCWs: How often are you required to attend respirator training? (adherent: once at hire and then annually) | 85.9 | 94.7 | 87.9 | 54.1 |
| Circumstances of usage | ||||
| 13. HMs: Does your facility conduct a risk assessment to determine which employees should be included in the RPP? UMs: Does your facility conduct a risk assessment to determine which employees on your unit should be included in the RPP? (adherent: yes) | 89.4 | 78.5 | † | † |
| Frequency of usage | ||||
| 14. Workers at my workplace use respirators when they are required (adherent: agree) | 97.9 | 97.9 | 98.0 | 86.7 |
| Location of usage | ||||
| 15. Is respiratory protective equipment located close to the point of use (ie, rooms with suspected or confirmed seasonal influenza or patients on airborne precautions)? (adherent: yes) | 98.5* | 98.5 | 100.0 | 98.6* |
| Program evaluation and respirator maintenance | ||||
| 16. HMs/UMs: During the program evaluation, do you determine whether respirators are available for employees who need them? (adherent: yes) | 93.4 | 86.9 | † | † |
| 17. HMs/UMs: Does your facility have a formal mechanism or method to evaluate the effectiveness of the RPP? (adherent: yes) | 53.2 | 39.4 | † | † |
| 18. HMs/UMs: Is input from respirator users formally solicited (eg, by an anonymous survey or during a meeting) during the program evaluation? HCWs: Is your input formally solicited (eg, by an anonymous survey or during a meeting) during the program evaluation? (adherent: yes) | 56.7 | 47.5 | 18.2 | 4.1 |
| 19. HMs: Does your facility track respirator defects or problems? UMs: As a manager, do you track respirator defects or problems? (adherent: yes) | 84.1* | 50.0 * | † | † |
| 20. HMs/UMs: During the program evaluation, do you determine whether respirators are being maintained properly (eg, PAPRs are disinfected after use)? (adherent: yes) | 82.0 | 65.6 | † | † |
| 21. HCWs: Are respirators being maintained properly (eg, PAPRs are disinfected after use)? (adherent: yes) | † | † | 59.6 | 21.4* |
| 22. HCWs: Does anyone observe you to make sure you are donning (putting on), doffing (removing), and disposing respirators properly? (adherent: yes) | † | † | 44.4 | 14.3 |
| 23. HCWs: Are you expected to report defects or problems with respiratory equipment? (adherent: yes) | † | † | 100.0 | 96.9 |
HCW, health care worker; HM, hospital manager; OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration; PAPR, powered air purifying respirator; RPP, respiratory protection program; UM, unit manager.
*
Comparable data were not available for Minnesota and Illinois on this question.
†
This question was not asked for this respondent group.