N95 respirator not best for H1N1 flu protection

November 7, 8:55 AMCharlotte Health and Happiness ExaminerKathleen Blanchard RN

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Lack of scientific evidence regarding the need for N95 respirators among health care workers has prompted three scientific organizations to urge that OSHA change current recommendations for personal protection from H1N1 flu among health care employees. N95 respirators that require fit-testing are not scientifically proven to be best to protect health care workers from H1N1 flu.

The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) have written a letter to President Obama, saying the current guideline recommending fit-tested N95 respirators for health care workers to protect from H1N1 flu could have “dangerous consequences”.

Two recent studies show that surgical masks protect from H1N1 flu as well as N95 respirators. According to APIC 2009 President Christine Nutty, RN, MSN, CIC, “The supply of N95 respirators is rapidly being depleted in our healthcare facilities. We are concerned that there won’t be an adequate supply to protect healthcare workers when TB patients enter the healthcare system.”

Mark Rupp, MD, president of SHEA, says the OSHA guidelines are “deeply flawed”, and are causing confusion among health care employees and hospital administrators.