Wangsan Kampanat, Sapbamrer Ratana, Sirikul Wachiranun, Kiratipaisarl Wuttipat, Ongprasert Krongporn, Assavanopakun Pheerasak, Surawattanasakul Vithawat, Kitro Amornphat, Panumasvivat Jinjuta, Wongcharoen Amnart
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
Environmental and Occupational Medicine Excellence Center (EnOMEC), Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 May 19;13(10):1186. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13101186.
: Respirators are essential for protecting healthcare personnel (HCPs) from airborne infections, and were particularly valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, knowledge gaps, attitudes, and perceived usability issues may hinder their proper use, especially in settings lacking formal respiratory protection programs. : The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, practices (KAP), and perceived usability of respirators among Thai healthcare personnel at a university hospital in Northern Thailand and identify differences across job roles. : A cross-sectional survey was conducted among HCPs at a university hospital in Northern Thailand. Participants completed a validated questionnaire covering demographic data, KAP, and perceived usability of respirators. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze group differences. : A total of 479 valid responses were analyzed from physicians (31.7%), nurses (37.6%), and other HCPs (30.7%). Only around 12% of all participants correctly identified that surgical masks are not respirators, although over 90% correctly identified the nature of N95/KN95-type filtering facepiece respirators. Nurses demonstrated higher knowledge of respirator standards and proper use. Confidence and willingness to use industrial or reprocessed sterile respirators varied significantly by role ( < 0.05). Only 30.5% had received fit-testing. Perceived usability concerns included discomfort, heat, and breathability, reported across all groups. : Knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to respirator use varied by professional role, with notable gaps in fit-testing and perceived usability. Findings highlight the need for targeted training, consistent fit-testing protocols, and improved respirator design for comfort to ensure effective respiratory protection in healthcare settings.
呼吸器对于保护医护人员免受空气传播感染至关重要，在新冠疫情期间尤其宝贵。然而，知识差距、态度以及感知到的可用性问题可能会阻碍其正确使用，尤其是在缺乏正式呼吸防护计划的环境中。
本研究的目的是评估泰国北部一家大学医院的医护人员对呼吸器的知识、态度、实践（KAP）以及感知到的可用性，并确定不同工作岗位之间的差异。
在泰国北部一家大学医院对医护人员进行了横断面调查。参与者完成了一份经过验证的问卷，内容涵盖人口统计学数据、KAP以及呼吸器的感知可用性。使用描述性和推断性统计分析组间差异。
共分析了479份有效回复，来自医生（31.7%）、护士（37.6%）和其他医护人员（30.7%）。尽管超过90%的参与者正确识别了N95/KN95型过滤式面罩呼吸器的性质，但所有参与者中只有约12%正确识别出外科口罩不是呼吸器。护士对呼吸器标准和正确使用的知识掌握得更好。使用工业用或再处理无菌呼吸器的信心和意愿因角色不同而有显著差异（<0.05）。只有30.5%的人接受过适合性测试。所有组都报告了与感知可用性相关的问题，包括不适、闷热和透气性差。
与呼吸器使用相关的知识、态度和实践因专业角色而异，在适合性测试和感知可用性方面存在明显差距。研究结果凸显了针对性培训、一致的适合性测试方案以及改进呼吸器设计以提高舒适度的必要性，以确保在医疗环境中提供有效的呼吸防护。
