Or Peggy, Chung Joanne, Wong Thomas
Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, Tung Wah College, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
The Department of Health and Physical Education, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Tai Po, Hong Kong.
Int J Nurs Pract. 2016 Feb;22(1):22-30. doi: 10.1111/ijn.12354. Epub 2014 May 14.
The instant measurements provided by the Portacount fit-test instrument have been used as the gold standard in predicting the protection of an N95 respirator in a laboratory environment. The conventional Portacount fit-test method, however, cannot deliver real-time measurements of face-seal leakage when the N95 respirator is in use in clinical settings. This research was divided into two stages. Stage 1 involved developing and validating a new quantitative fit-test method called the Personal Respiratory Sampling Test (PRST). In Stage 2, PRST was evaluated in use during nursing activities in clinical settings. Eighty-four participants were divided randomly into four groups and were tested while performing bedside nursing procedures. In Stage 1, a new PRST method was successfully devised and validated. Results of Stage 2 showed that the new PRST method could detect different concentrations and different particle sizes inside the respirator while the wearer performed different nursing activities. This new fit-test method, PRST, can detect face seal leakage of an N95 respirator being worn while the wearer performs clinical activities. Thus, PRST can help ensure that the N95 respirator actually fulfils its function of protecting health-care workers from airborne pathogens.
Portacount 适合性测试仪器提供的即时测量结果已被用作预测 N95 口罩在实验室环境中防护效果的金标准。然而，传统的 Portacount 适合性测试方法在 N95 口罩用于临床环境时，无法实时测量面部密封泄漏情况。本研究分为两个阶段。第一阶段涉及开发和验证一种名为个人呼吸采样测试（PRST）的新的定量适合性测试方法。在第二阶段，对 PRST 在临床环境中的护理活动中使用情况进行了评估。84 名参与者被随机分为四组，并在进行床边护理程序时接受测试。在第一阶段，成功设计并验证了一种新的 PRST 方法。第二阶段的结果表明，新的 PRST 方法能够在佩戴者进行不同护理活动时，检测出口罩内部不同浓度和不同粒径的颗粒。这种新的适合性测试方法 PRST 能够在佩戴者进行临床活动时，检测出佩戴的 N95 口罩的面部密封泄漏情况。因此，PRST 有助于确保 N95 口罩切实履行其保护医护人员免受空气传播病原体侵害的功能。
