Table 4.
Respiratory Protection Program
| Preparedness Element | CAHs n(%), (N=21) | ACHs n(%), (N=11) | All Hospitals n(%), (N=32) |
|---|---|---|---|
| N95 FFRs are available in following locations: | |||
| Emergency departments | 19 (90) | 9 (82) | 28 (88) |
| Employee health offices (n=15 for CAHs, n=26 for all hospitals) | 7 (47) | 8 (73) | 15 (58) |
| Inpatient units | 20 (95) | 11 (100) | 31 (97) |
| Primary care and specialty clinics | 13 (62) | 7 (64) | 20 (63) |
| Urgent care (n=14 for CAHs, n=25 for all hospitals) | 7 (50) | 8 (73) | 15 (60) |
| Experiencing problems (eg, delays, shortages) in ordering and obtaining respirators (other than N95 FFRs) | 11 (52) | 2 (18) | 13 (41) |
| Experiencing problems (eg, delays, shortages) in ordering and obtaining N95 FFRs | 8 (38) | 2 (18) | 10 (31) |
| Written protocol for respiratory protection program (RPP) | 19 (90) | 10 (91) | 29 (91) |
| Which groups of healthcare workers are fit-tested annually? | |||
| Physicians and providers | 17 (81) | 9 (82) | 26 (81) |
| Nurses | 17 (81) | 10 (91) | 27 (84) |
| Nurse-aids | 16 (76) | 9 (82) | 25 (78) |
| Respiratory therapists | 14 (67) | 7 (64) | 21 (66) |
| Physical therapists | 7 (33) | 6 (55) | 13 (41) |
| Occupational therapists | 3 (14) | 4 (36) | 7 (22) |
| Administrative staff | 3 (14) | 1 (9) | 4 (13) |
| Environmental cleaning staff | 17 (81) | 9 (82) | 26 (81) |
| Dietitian | 1 (5) | 3 (27) | 4 (13) |
| Engineering staff | 5 (24) | 4 (36) | 9 (28) |
| Security | 2 (10) | 2 (18) | 4 (13) |
| Laundry | 2 (10) | 0 | 2 (6) |
| Volunteers | 0 | 1 (9) | 1 (3) |
| Contractors | 1 (5) | 1 (9) | 2 (6) |
| No fit-testing as we use PAPR | 0 | 2 (18) | 2 (6) |
| Type of respiratory protection devices your hospital provides as part of the RPP | |||
| Surgical masks | 12 (57) | 9 (82) | 21 (66) |
| N95 FFRs | 17 (81) | 10 (91) | 27 (84) |
| Half-face elastomeric respirators with N95 cartridges | 1 (5) | 0 | 1 (3) |
| Full-face elastomeric respirators with N99 cartridges | 0 | 1 (9) | 1 (3) |
| Full-face elastomeric respirators with N100 cartridges | 1 (5) | 0 | 1 (3) |
| Powered-air purifying respirators with HEPA (or equivalent) cartridges | 0 | 10 (91) | 10 (31) |
| Frequency of respirator training for those covered by RPP at your hospital | |||
| Annually | 7 (33) | 5 (45) | 12 (38) |
| Upon hire only and as job duties change | 2 (10) | 1 (9) | 3 (9) |
| Upon hire, then annually | 4 (19) | 1 (9) | 5 (16) |
| Annually and as job duties change | 0 | 3 (27) | 3 (9) |
| Upon hire, then annually and as job duties change | 7 (33) | 1 (9) | 8 (25) |
| Do not provide any respirator training | 1 (5) | 0 | 1 (3) |
Note. CAH, critical access hospital; ACH, acute-care hospital; PAPR, powered, air-purifying respirator; FFR, filtering face-piece respirator; HEPA, high-efficiency particulate air filter.