Objective
- Respirators currently used in the healthcare industry were introduced from other industries and were not specifically designed for healthcare workers (HCW). A number of respirator characteristics may limit the HCW’s performance. This project , a collaborative effort between the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and NPPTL, seeks to determine the ideal characteristics that would be required for a HCW-specific respirator with eventual prototype development/manufacture.
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- OSHA standard (29 CFR 1910.134) for respiratory protection
- Healthcare workers (medical, dental, etc.)
- Emergency Medical Services (paramedics,
firefighters, private ambulance crews)
- Respirator manufacturers
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Project Scope
- Phase 1 - Interagency Working Group formation/information
exchange
- Phase 2 - Prototype development
- Phase 3 - Prototype bench testing (NPPTL) and human field
trials (VHA)
- Phase 4 - Commercialization (approach manufacturers)
Milestones
- Working Group formation (Fall/Winter 2007)
- MOU finalization (March, 2008)
- Working Group meeting/information exchange (Spring 2008)
- White paper development/peer-review (Spring/Summer 2008)
- White paper publication in peer-reviewed journal (Fall 2008)
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Outputs
- Manuscript (white paper) submitted to peer-reviewed journal
- Presentations at national/international conferences
- Development of new HCW-specific respirator that will meet NIOSH
certification criteria
Outcomes
- The HCW-specific respirator should:
- increase compliance with OSHA regulations
- increase tolerance for extended wear (e.g., pandemic influenza)
- decrease respiratory exposure to infectious agents
- enhance HCW performance
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