Prospective observational study of gender and ethnicity biases in respiratory protective equipment for healthcare workers in the COVID-19 pandemic
ObjectiveTo describe success rates of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) fit testing and factors associated with achieving suitable fit.DesignProspective observational study of RPE fit testing according to health and safety, and occupational health requirements.SettingA large tertiary referral U...
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Published in | BMJ open Vol. 11; no. 5; p. e047716 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
BMJ Publishing Group LTD
20.05.2021
BMJ Publishing Group |
Series | Original research |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | ObjectiveTo describe success rates of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) fit testing and factors associated with achieving suitable fit.DesignProspective observational study of RPE fit testing according to health and safety, and occupational health requirements.SettingA large tertiary referral UK healthcare facility.Population1443 healthcare workers undergoing quantitative fit testing.Main outcome measuresQuantitative fit test success (pass/fail) and the count of tests each participant required before successful fit.ResultsHealthcare workers were fit tested a median (IQR) 2 (1–3) times before successful fit was obtained. Males were tested a median 1 (1–2) times, while females were tested a median 2 (1–2) times before a successful fit was found. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Modelling each fit test as its own independent trial (n=2359) using multivariable logistic regression, male healthcare workers were significantly more likely to find a well-fitting respirator and achieve a successful fit on first attempt in comparison to females, after adjusting for other factors (adjusted OR=2.07, 95% CI): 1.66 to 2.60, p<0.001). Staff who described their ethnicity as White were also more likely to achieve a successful fit compared with staff who described their ethnicity as Asian (OR=0.47, 95% CI: 0.38 to 0.58, p<0.001), Black (OR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.71, p<0.001), mixed (OR=0.50 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.80, p=0.004) or other (OR=0.53, 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.99, p=0.043).ConclusionsMale and White ethnicity healthcare workers are more likely to achieve RPE fit test success. This has broad operational implications to healthcare services with a large female and Black, Asian and minority ethnic group population. Fit testing is imperative in ensuring RPE effectiveness in protecting healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Undefined-3 |
ISSN: | 2044-6055 2044-6055 |
DOI: | 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047716 |