Penn State Health revises N95 guidance, delayed reuse no longer required

Stockpiles of N95 masks have grown at Penn State Health, and the need for staff to store and reuse them has decreased.

April 12, 2021Penn State Health News

Penn State Health no longer recommends their extended use and has new guidance for the extended use, reuse and storage of N95 masks.

Supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been limited since the early days of the pandemic, requiring significant conservation efforts across the health system. Supply Chain, which carefully managed supplies in anticipation of and during the shortages, has since fortified its supplies of N95 masks. According to the policy, N95 masks should be discarded after:

• A shift ends
• Six donnings/doffings
• 12 hours of continuous use
• 24 hours of intermittent use
• An aerosol-generating procedure for a patient confirmed with or highly suspected of having COVID-19

Other changes:

• Masks will no longer be decontaminated with hydrogen peroxide.
• Staff should continue to store N95 masks in paper bags with the labels that now include the name, unit and date of first use. The user should mark the exterior bag each time the mask is donned for a patient encounter.
• Masks should no longer be rested and reused after five days.

Recommendations for N95 usage and storage may change as additional information emerges.

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