Personal protective equipment stockpile practices: a document and scoping review.

Caitlin Walker, Eric Toner, Erin Sorrell, Crystal Watson, Tara Kirk Sell

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Preventive medicine reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Caitlin WalkerJohns Hopkins Center for Health Security, 700 E. Pratt Street, Suite 900, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.

Eric TonerJohns Hopkins Center for Health Security, 700 E. Pratt Street, Suite 900, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.

Erin SorrellJohns Hopkins Center for Health Security, 700 E. Pratt Street, Suite 900, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.

Crystal WatsonJohns Hopkins Center for Health Security, 700 E. Pratt Street, Suite 900, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.

Tara Kirk SellJohns Hopkins Center for Health Security, 700 E. Pratt Street, Suite 900, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: To characterize policies and practices for stockpiling personal protective equipment (PPE) as described in the academic literature, cited documents, and the World Health Organization's Joint External Evaluation (JEE) and National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) reports, and to identify recommendations for future improvement. Methods: Seven electronic databases were searched using terms related to PPE and stockpiles: ABI/Inform, CINAHL, EconLit, Embase, Engineering Village, PubMed, and Scopus. Documents published January 2015 to November 2024 were included if substantive detail of a PPE stockpile was described. References were then screened. Available JEE (n = 109) and NAPHS (n = 16) reports were reviewed for stockpile descriptions and recommendations. Results: The scoping review identified 391 unique records, 13 of which were eligible for inclusion following full-text screening. Seven further documents were identified through reference screening. PPE stockpiles of 19 countries were discussed in included articles, and medical countermeasure stockpiles of 83 countries were discussed in JEE and NAPHS reports. Characteristics and recommendations were identified across all stages of stockpiling. Conclusions: PPE stockpiles exist in many nations, sharing several characteristics and diverging on others, highlighting potential areas for cross-context learning. Further descriptions and recommendations are needed for stockpiles outside of high-income countries.

Indexed as

International comparisonPandemic preparednessPersonal protective equipmentStockpile characteristicsStrategic stockpile

Identifiers

PMID41466861

DOI10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103301

PMCPMC12744811

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.