Tolerability, user acceptance and preference for a novel reusable respirator among health care workers

Background: The CleanSpace Technology Halo respirator combines a clear face mask and a powered air supply, without belts or hoses. Although providing higher protection than other respirators used in health care, user acceptance of this device has not been assessed with validated tools.Methods: We surveyed healthcare workers (HCWs) within a US medical system using Halo respirators in 2021. Subjects completed 3 surveys over 8 weeks, which included the Respirator Comfort, Wearing Experience, and Function Instrument (R-COMFI), a validated tool to assess respirator tolerability. The survey included additional questions about user acceptability and respirator preference. Responses were evaluated for change over time and for significant predictors.Results: Of 113 HCWs who completed the initial survey (29% response rate), mean & PLUSMN; SD R-COMFI score was 9.1 & PLUSMN; 5.1, (scale 0-47, lower = more tolerable) and did not change over time (P = .42). Fewer years in healthcare significantly predicted better R-COMFI score (P = .01). Many users preferred Halo in both usual care (45%-52%) and care of patients with COVID-19 (60%-64%). Discussion: Halo respirators received favorable tolerability scores by HCWs, who often preferred them, especially during care of patients with COVID-19.Conclusions: Given demand for respirator use in health care, the innovative design provides higher protection than other respirators with a favorable user experience.& COPY; 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)