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Published on: February 10, 2016
Healthcare personnel masking: current practices and gaps in standardized thresholds
Kevin M Gibas1,2, Thomas Head2, Marissa Broadley2
1Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Objective:
To characterize institutional masking policies for healthcare personnel (HCP) and identify factors informing masking decisions in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.
Design:
Cross-sectional, survey-based study.
Setting:
Healthcare institutions participating in the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Research Networks.
Participants:
One representative per institution, including infection preventionists, hospital epidemiologists, or healthcare administrators, knowledgeable about organizational masking policies.
Methods:
A structured, web-based survey was distributed through the SHEA/APIC Research Networks. Survey domains included institutional characteristics, masking strategies outside of transmission-based precautions, epidemiologic and operational factors influencing masking decisions, and mask types required. Responses were collected anonymously via REDCap over a six-week period and analyzed descriptively.
Results:
A total of 172 unique healthcare institutions completed the survey (41% response rate, n = 172/425). Most respondents were infection preventionists (65%) or hospital epidemiologists (25%). The most common masking approach was a seasonal or situational risk-based strategy (57%), while 7% of institutions reported no formal masking policy. Among institutions using seasonal or situational masking, decisions were most frequently informed by outbreaks or clusters (37%), public health guidance (33%), and HCP illness/absenteeism (27%). Most institutions reported no fixed epidemiologic thresholds for masking decisions. When masking was required, surgical masks were most commonly used (98%).
Conclusions:
Masking policies and decision-making criteria vary widely across healthcare institutions, reflecting a lack of standardized operational guidance. These findings underscore the need for consensus-based, data-driven frameworks to support consistent, transparent, and evidence-informed masking policies in healthcare settings.
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