In hospital verification of non CE-marked respiratory protective devices to ensure safety of healthcare staff during the COVID-19 outbreak.

AIM: To develop a protocol to ensure the quality of respiratory protective devices for healthcare workers nursing and treating patients with possible or confirmed COVID-19 in the Catharina hospital.

BACKGROUND: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak a shortage of respirators is occurring worldwide; more specifically, CE-certified FFP2 respirators. This has resulted in an increased supply to hospitals of alternative respirators of uncertain quality. Nevertheless, the quality of the respirators used by our healthcare workers must be ensured.

METHOD: A protocol and criteria based on applicable standards was developed to ensure the quality of respirators. The protocol has been implemented at the Catharina hospital and includes verification of the documents accompanying the respirator, visual inspection of the respirator and a test for total inward leak of particles into respirators.

FINDINGS: 67% of the respirators brands and types received in the Catharina hospital did not meet quality criteria.

CONCLUSION: With a simple verification protocol the quality of the respirators can be checked and guaranteed while there is a shortage of the CE approved respirators which are normally used. With this in-hospital protocol health care workers can be equipped with safe-to-use respirators.