Betsy Todd, MPH, RN, Nurse Epidemiologist and Clinical Editor for American Journal of Nursing answers questions related to personal protective equipment. These questions were submitted by attendees of the webcast, Calming the COVID-19 Storm: Delivering Effective Clinical and Nursing Care, which took place on May 7, 2020.  This podcast covers the following questions:

• How safe is it to wear N95 masks more than once during patient care?
• Are there any guidelines about re-using N95s?
• Is a P100 respirator safe to use?
• Do we have other options for respiratory protection?
• Wearing N95s for hours has caused the skin on my face to blister.  What can I do?
• Is there any evidence to show that wearing masks in public is helpful?
• What other PPE should we be wearing in the hospital?  What about shoe covers?
• What PPE should workers in non-hospital settings be wearing?

*Note: this podcast was recorded on May 18, 2020. For the most up to date information, please visit our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource page, where you’ll find links to the on-demand webcast (earn 1 free contact hour!), CDC and WHO, plus free access to our point-of-care tools and more.

More Resources:

• Recommended Guidance for Extended Use and Limited Reuse of N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators in Healthcare Settings 
• Prevention and Management of Skin Damage Related to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)