Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Chong, L.S.
• Bundele, A.
• Sumner, J.
• Mukhopadhyay, A.

Titel

Advances in respiratory protective equipment: practical experiences of CleanSpace® HALO™ by healthcare workers

Ist Teil von

• The Journal of hospital infection, 2022-06, Vol.124, p.22-28

Ort / Verlag

England: Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Personal protective equipment (PPE) offers protection from infections and hazardous materials. Advances in technology have seen rapid improvement of respiratory PPEs but real-world evaluations are needed to understand whether newer devices offer greater usability and overcome common barriers to correct use. To survey the user experiences of a new PPE device, CleanSpace® HALO™, in comparison to existing masks and respirators to determine advantages and disadvantages. Frontline healthcare workers of a large healthcare provider cluster in Singapore with practical experience of using respiratory PPE, including the CleanSpace® HALO™, were surveyed. Ease of communication, comfort, usability, ability to provide care, perceived effectiveness, barriers, and enablers to respiratory PPE use were investigated. A total of 93 respondents were included in the analysis. CleanSpace® HALO™ was rated highly in terms of perceived safety (92%), comfort (40%), and ease of donning and doffing (53%). CleanSpace® HALO™ was less disruptive to patient care (8%), although the ability to communicate effectively remained an obstacle (22%). Respondents also noted the incomplete facial protection provided by CleanSpace® HALO™. Respiratory protective devices are integral to effective infection control protocols, but their usefulness is limited by their impact on care delivery and incorrect use. The CleanSpace® HALO™ demonstrated advantages over existing powered air purifying respirator devices but some issues remain. Future iterations must strive to overcome communication challenges and address common side-effects. Better education is also needed to improve user confidence with CleanSpace® HALO™.