Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a critical part of infection prevention and health care worker (HCW) protection. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed gaps in the ability of health care systems to ensure HCWs have adequate access to PPE during times of surge in demand, placing both HCWs and patients at risk. In March 2024, the National Academies convened a public workshop to identify opportunities to increase the use of reusable health care textiles (HCTs) used for PPE in health care settings. Speakers emphasized reusable textiles' potential to protect health care staff and their patients, reduce waste and environmental effects from disposable HCTs, prepare for future pandemics, and provide cost savings.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR A WORKSHOP ON REUSABLE HEALTH CARE TEXTILES FOR PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
• Reviewers
• Acknowledgments
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• 1. Introduction
  • ORGANIZATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS
• 2. Level Setting: The U.S. Ecosystem for PPE
  • LIFE CYCLES OF TEXTILES USED FOR HEATH CARE PPE
  • SUSTAINABILITY IN THE PPE INDUSTRY
  • REUSABLE PPE CONSIDERATIONS IN HEALTH CARE
  • DISCUSSION
• 3. Level Setting: Policies and Standards for PPE
  • POLICIES AND STANDARDS FOR MANUFACTURERS
  • POLICIES AND GUIDANCE FOR USE
  • COMPARISON OF U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL POLICIES AND STANDARDS
  • DISCUSSION
• 4. Environmental Impact
  • ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ACROSS THE LIFE CYCLE
  • A CASE STUDY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN CLINICAL CARE
  • PANEL DISCUSSION
• 5. Economic Impact
  • VALUE ANALYSIS 101: ATTAINING OVERALL VALUE USING VALUE ANALYSIS PROCESSES
  • CASE STUDY: COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH STOCKPILING OF RESPIRATORY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
  • PANEL DISCUSSION
• 6. Safety and Quality Considerations
  • CASE STUDY: IMPLEMENTATION OF A REUSABLE ELASTOMERIC RESPIRATOR PROGRAM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
  • PANEL DISCUSSION
• 7. Decision-Making Support
  • CASE STUDY: DECISION PROCESS TO INCORPORATE MORE REUSABLE ISOLATION GOWNS IN HEALTH CARE OPERATIONS
  • PANEL DISCUSSION
• 8. Aspects of Implementation
  • METHODS TO INCREASE ADOPTION OF REUSABLE HCTS
  • REUSABLE HCT IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS AND BARRIERS
  • ETHICAL AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS
  • TRAINING AND EDUCATION GAPS
  • LESSONS FROM SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS
• 9. Closing and Possible Paths Forward
  • CONSIDERING PATHS FORWARD IN EXPLORING REUSABLE HCTS
  • CLOSING REFLECTIONS
• Appendix A. References
• Appendix B. Key Terminology and Definitions Shared with Workshop Participants
• Appendix C. Workshop Agenda
• Appendix D. Biographical Sketches of the Workshop Planning Committee Members, Speakers, and Staff

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Reusable health care textiles for use in personal protective equipment: Proceedings of a workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27762.

Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27762

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