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Help ensure respirator safety at your facility

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, November 17, 2006

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Respiratory protection and isolation methods are key issues in preventing transmission of infectious diseases-particularly in light of potential pandemics or bioterror events-and also in protecting healthcare workers and patients from infectious diseases in general.

Infection control practitioners and directors need to understand respirator technology, its capabilities and limitations, and how to be sure it fits healthcare staff properly, said John A. Schaefer, MFS, CIH, HEM, CPEA, associate director of health safety and environment for Johns Hopkins University Hospital and Health System in Baltimore.

One step is to write a respiratory protection program (RPP). You will want to designate a program administrator. Someone who is knowledgeable in hazards and respirator types and usage should write the RPP, Schaefer said, adding that the administrator is key to the program and should oversee the selection of respirators. The program should include the following:

• Respirator selection procedures
• Medical surveillance
• Fitting and fit testing
• Maintenance and cleaning procedures
• Procedures for routine and emergency use of respirators

To get more steps, go to Briefings on Infection Control (BOIC). For the cost of just three stories, you can get the entire December issue of BOIC. Click here to choose between the PDF and HTML versions for just $30. Subscribers to the online version of BOIC have free access to this article. Subscribers to the print newsletter can find this article in their December issue.

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