The use of textile materials for respiratory protection in times of pandemics: a systematic review and analysis

Purpose Given the COVID-19 Pandemic outbreak and the role of medical textiles for protection, this study aims to identify the leading research foci on using textile materials for personal protection in pandemic situations. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review and systemic analysis of the literature on the subject were performed using the process knowledge development – constructivist (ProKnow-C) methodology. Findings A bibliographic portfolio with 16 relevant studies was obtained. This portfolio represents the main focus of this research field, including the main filtration mechanisms, ways of disinfecting N95 respirators and proposed methods to evaluate the filtration efficiency of different materials with potential for mask development. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time the ProKnow-C methodology was used in the textile field. Thus, future studies can benefit from using the Proknow-C for selecting and analyzing relevant textile studies following a systematic approach.