Review: Joint Commission statement on use of face masks brought from home

Review: Joint Commission statement on use of face masks brought from home

This statement from the Joint Commission encourages healthcare facilities to allow staff to bring and use their own face masks or respirators throughout the day when the facility is unable to provide adequate access to protective equipment.

The Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies over 22,000 U.S. health care organizations, issued the statement in response to multiple reports of hospitals prohibiting staff from using their own face masks or respirators. Masks, respirators, and other forms of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been subject to significant shortages at many facilities. However, some health care facilities have objected to staff use of private PPE based on existing hospital policy, the uncertain safety of unapproved equipment, potential increase in patient fear or stress, and inequality in staff PPE access. The Joint Commission statement acknowledges these concerns, but emphasizes both the need to protect staff and to conserve scarce PPE and other supplies for higher-risk procedures, such as intubation. The statement also notes that no Joint Commission standards or other requirements prohibit staff use of privately-owned PPE.

|2020-04-02T07:54:52-04:00April 1st, 2020|COVID-19 Literature|Comments Off on Review: Joint Commission statement on use of face masks brought from home

About the Author: Daniel Orenstein

Daniel Orenstein
Daniel G. Orenstein, JD, MPH, is Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis. He teaches in the areas of administrative law, public health law, and health care law and policy. His research focuses on public health law, policy, and ethics, and he was previously Deputy Director of the Network for Public Health Law Western Region, where much of his work centered on emergency preparedness and response, including resource allocation and government authority during declared emergencies, as well as vaccination policy.

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