title: Practices around the use of masks and respirators among hospital health care workers in 3 diverse populations.
abstract: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 89 secondary- and tertiary-level hospitals in 3 countries, and samples of masks and respirators were also collected and examined. Results showed varied practices around the use of masks and respirators, which are probably influenced by the available resources and local recommendations. Nonstandardized practices are common in low-resource settings, which may be placing health care workers at risk.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: abrar.chughtai@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Abrar Ahmad
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Chughtai
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: C Raina
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: MacIntyre
authors.affiliation: National TB Control Program, Ministry of Health, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Orooj
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ashraf
authors.affiliation: The Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: The Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: The Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Quanyi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Tham Chi
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Dung
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Nguyen Tran
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Hien
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seale
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006282:Health Personnel; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008397:Masks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012122:Ventilators, Mechanical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Avian influenza; Infectious diseases; Influenza; Pandemic influenza; Tuberculosis