N95 respirator reuse during the COVID-19 pandemic: Healthcare worker perceptions and attitudes

HCWs were encouraged by hospital leadership to reuse their N95 due to critical shortages; however, they could obtain a new N95 from their department at any time if there was concern for functional or structural integrity (ie, soiling or damage to any part of the N95, or failure to attain an adequate seal on leak testing) of the respirator. Survey Answers by Role Question Role P Value All (N=294) Physician (N=68) Advanced Practitioner (N=83) Nurse (N=119) Other (N=24) Content with the N95 reuse conservation strategy, no. (%) 72 (25) 24 (33) 22 (31) 23 (32) 3 (4) .04 Comfortable reusing an N95, no. (%) 84 (47) 23 (27) 22 (26) 36 (43) 3 (4) .07 Frequency of user seal check, no. (%) Always/almost always Sometimes/Half the time Never/Don’t know what a seal check is 154 (57) 39 (14) 77 (29) 13 (33) 28 (18) 23 (30) 10 (26) 45 (29) 17 (22) 12 (31) 68 (44) 2 (42) 4 (10) 13 (8) 5 (6) .27 N95 donnings/shift on an average clinical workday, no. (%) 1–2 3–5 >5 294 71 (24) 193 (66) 30 (10) 15 (21) 50 (26) 3 (10) 26 (37) 44 (23) 13 (43) 26 (37) 82 (43) 11 (37) 4 (6) 17 (9) 3 (10) .10 Longest hours N95 worn on an average clinical workday, no. (%) ≤1 h >1–5 h >5 h 107 (36) 109 (37) 78 (27) 29 (27) 26 (24) 13 (17) 42 (39) 24 (22) 17 (22) 33 (31) 46 (42) 40 (51) 3 (3) 13 (12) 8 (10) .02 N95 replacements needed in 1 week at the peak of COVID-19, no. (%) Never 1–2 times 3–4 times >5 Does not recall 71 (27) 94 (36) 32 (12) 27 (10) 34 (13) 26 (36) 19 (20) 1 (3) 6 (22) 5 (15) 23 (32) 26 (28) 7 (22) 5 (18) 5 (44) 21 (29) 42 (45) 17 (53) 12 (44) 16 (47) 1 (1) 7 (7) 7 (22) 4 (15) 5 (15) 14 d 30 (12) 59 (23) 51 (20) 117 (45) 0 6 (10) 14 (27) 37 (32) 4 (13) 20 (34) 10 (20) 35 (30) 20 (67) 26 (44) 21 (41) 41 (35) 6 (20) 7 (12) 6 (12) 4 (3)