N95 versus Medical Masks for COVID-19 in Healthcare Workers
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Medical Masks versus N95 respirators to prevent 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Healthcare Workers: A Randomized Trial
IRAS ID
294106
Contact name
Mark Loeb
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
McMaster University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 28 days
Research summary
Little is known about the effectiveness of respiratory protective devices in protecting healthcare workers from the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). While N95 respirators are the preferred method of protection for aerosol-generating procedures (AGP), for non-AGP care, it is not clear that N95 respirators offer greater protection than medical masks. We propose a randomized controlled trial in which healthcare workers will be randomized to wear either medical masks or N95 respirators when providing direct care to patients with COVID-19. Both groups will wear N95 masks when performing aerosol-generating procedures. We will enroll healthcare workers who work in hospital areas (wards, Emergency Departments) with COVID-19 patients, who work 60% of the time, who are mask-fit tested, and who have never had a COVID-19 infection. We will follow both groups over 10 weeks (or until after COVID-19 vaccination) and hypothesize that medical masks offer similar protection for routine care than N95 respirators.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/YH/0107
Date of REC Opinion
8 Nov 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion