SynthesisInfection control and hospital epidemiology2021
Extended use or reuse of single-use surgical masks and filtering face-piece respirators during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: A rapid systematic review.
Synthesis in Infection control and hospital epidemiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review.Clinical microbiology reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Conservation Practices for Personal Protective Equipment: A Systematic Review with Focus on Lower-Income Countries.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Personal protective equipment for reducing the risk of COVID-19 infection among health care workers involved in emergency trauma surgery during the pandemic: An umbrella review.The journal of trauma and acute care surgery · 2021Pooled it
- Factors influencing N95 respirator use among healthcare workers in a TB specialized hospital, Bangladesh.PloS one · 2026Article
- Nursing perception and practices in N95 mask reuse in intensive care: a cross-sectional study.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2026Article
- [Hygiene and infection prevention in disaster events with decompensated crisis treatment].Unfallchirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- [Bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) of surgical masks used for eight hours and unused masks with Staphylococcus aureus].Revista espanola de salud publica · 2025Article
- Implementation of the WHO core components of an infection prevention and control programme in two sub-saharan African acute health-care facilities: a mixed methods study.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2024Article
- Incidence of Fit Test Failure During N95 Respirator Reuse and Extended Use.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Psychological and psychosocial determinants of COVID Health Related Behaviours (COHeRe): An evidence and gap map.Campbell systematic reviews · 2023Article
- Thinking beyond Vaccination: Promising Add-On Strategies to Active Immunization and Vaccination in Pandemics-A Mini-Review.Viruses · 2023Review
- Adherence of healthcare workers to COVID-19 infection prevention practices and its relationship with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity.Journal of infection prevention · 2023Article
- End-user acceptability of personal protective equipment disinfection for potential reuse: a survey of health-care workers in Aotearoa New Zealand.The Lancet. Planetary health · 2023Article
- Article
- Pediatric Otolaryngology in COVID-19.Otolaryngologic clinics of North America · 2022Review
- The environmental impacts of different mask options for healthcare settings in the UK.Sustainable production and consumption · 2022Article
- Infection control in the intensive care unit: expert consensus statements for SARS-CoV-2 using a Delphi method.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2022Review
- Unmasking emerging issues in solid waste management: Knowledge and self-reported practices on the discarded disposable masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.Environmental challenges (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2022Article
- Diagnosing occupational COVID-19 in Croatian healthcare workers.Arhiv za higijenu rada i toksikologiju · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 9 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundShortages of personal protective equipment during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have led to the extended use or reuse of single-use respirators and surgical masks by frontline healthcare workers. The evidence base underpinning such practices warrants examination.
objectivesTo synthesize current guidance and systematic review evidence on extended use, reuse, or reprocessing of single-use surgical masks or filtering face-piece respirators. DATA SOURCES: We used the World Health Organization, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Public Health England websites to identify guidance. We used Medline, PubMed, Epistemonikos, Cochrane Database, and preprint servers for systematic reviews.
methodsTwo reviewers conducted screening and data extraction. The quality of included systematic reviews was appraised using AMSTAR-2. Findings were narratively synthesized.
resultsIn total, 6 guidance documents were identified. Levels of detail and consistency across documents varied. They included 4 high-quality systematic reviews: 3 focused on reprocessing (decontamination) of N95 respirators and 1 focused on reprocessing of surgical masks. Vaporized hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation were highlighted as the most promising reprocessing methods, but evidence on the relative efficacy and safety of different methods was limited. We found no well-established methods for reprocessing respirators at scale.
conclusionsEvidence on the impact of extended use and reuse of surgical masks and respirators is limited, and gaps and inconsistencies exist in current guidance. Where extended use or reuse is being practiced, healthcare organizations should ensure that policies and systems are in place to ensure these practices are carried out safely and in line with available guidance.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.