As late as June 2020, several months into the novel coronavirus pandemic, extended reuse of personal protective equipment (PPE) remains common in nursing homes, with homemade PPE supplementing what is issued.
These findings are published in an Issue Brief presenting the first results from Q&I's survey of frontline staff working in long-term care settings during the pandemic. More than 150 nursing home staff from 32 states responded. Half (50%) reported that staff in their workplace were reusing face masks or gowns across multiple residents in the same day, and 41% reported that face masks or gowns were reused for multiple days in a row.
The Issue Brief also presents comments that highlight frontline workers’ related thoughts and fears. Many staff are in high-risk groups and feel that they were risking their own health and the health of their families by coming to work each day.
Learn more about PPE in nursing homes by reading the Issue Brief. Please also continue to take and amplify the survey, which remains live.