The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for healthcare settings to employ alternatives to N95 filtering facepiece respirators like elastomeric respirators to provide stable respiratory protection resources. In 2020, the University of Maryland-Baltimore contracted with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create an elastomeric respirator implementation guide.
This document serves as a guide to support the implementation of elastomeric respirator-based respiratory protection programs in healthcare settings. Based on best practices employed in hospital and ambulatory practices at the University of Maryland-Baltimore, the guide includes:
- background evidence
- logistics on fit-testing
- distribution and decontamination
- summary of cost estimates associated with this form of respiratory protection
The guide includes tools like information sheets, checklists, training tools, and photos to help other programs set up their own programs.