title: B95: a new respirator for health care personnel.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Respiratory protection relies heavily on user compliance to be effective, but compliance among health care personnel is less than ideal.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs formed the Project Better Respiratory Equipment using Advanced Technologies for Healthcare Employees (BREATHE) Working Group, composed of a variety of federal stakeholders, to discuss strategies for improving respirator compliance, including the need for more comfortable respirators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Working Group developed 28 desirable performance characteristics that can be grouped into 4 key themes: (1) respirators should perform their intended function safely and effectively; (2) respirators should support, not interfere, with occupational activities; (3) respirators should be comfortable and tolerable for the duration of wear; and (4) respiratory protective programs should comply with federal/state standards and guidelines and local policies. As a necessary next step, the Working Group identified the need for a new class of respirators, to be called "B95," which would better address the unique needs of health care personnel.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This article summarizes the outputs of the Project BREATHE Working Group and provides a national strategy to develop clinically validated respirator test methods, to promulgate B95 respirator standards, and to invent novel design features, which together will lead to commercialized B95 respirators.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Occupational Health and Infection Control (COHIC), Office of Public Health, Department of Veterans Affairs, Gainesville, FL. Electronic address: Megan.Gosch@va.gov.
authors.forename: Megan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gosch
authors.forename: Ronald E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Shaffer
authors.forename: Aaron E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Eagan
authors.forename: Raymond J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Roberge
authors.forename: Victoria J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: Lewis J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Radonovich
mesh_terms: D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D012134:Respiratory Protective Devices / Q000592:standards*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States
keywords: Infection control; N95; Occupational health; Personal protective equipment; Respiratory protection