Facial Hair, PPE and COVID-19 [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How Has The Increased Need For Use of FFP3 Style Respirators During the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Hospital Doctor’s Facial Hair? Implications for Staff Safety and Welfare
IRAS ID
283609
Contact name
Sanjeev Sahota
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Cornwall Hospital
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 0 days
Research summary
The importance of effective personal protective equipment (PPE) has been highlighted during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Part of this equipment has been the use of filtering facepieces class 3 (FFP3) masks, which are particularly important to those staff undertaking “aerosol generating procedures” (AGP) such as chest compressions, intubation or endoscopy. However, for effective use, these need to be “fit tested” to the individual, which involves using a test aerosol to assess the efficacy of the mask. It is well known that facial hair affects the effectiveness of these masks, and there is clear guidance from the CDC and other organisations which facial hair styles are likely to pass and fail fit testing. However, there is little data reporting the adherence of this guidance, especially for hospital doctors for whom this guidance is relevant.\n\nThe research question is to assess whether these guidelines are being followed during this global pandemic, and if not, explore the reasons this may be the case. This has implications as FFP3 masks are not the only form of PPE for the face, and this study may highlight a need for employers to diversify which PPE they supply to their employees, such as full hoods.
REC name
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REC reference
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