Occupational Safety and Health Research (R01)

摘要 该提案涉及NIOSH医疗保健和社会援助（HCSA）计划（NAICS 62）部门， 免疫，传染病和皮肤病预防（IID）交叉部门的组成部分。超过2100万人 在美国，HCSA计划涵盖的疾病和职业性IID疾病是影响儿童健康的最常见疾病。 他们的安全和健康。个人防护装备（PPE）作为主要的干预手段，对医护人员的健康至关重要。 （HCW）健康与安全。然而，无效的个人防护设备可使医务工作者和病人处于传染性疾病传播的风险中。 试剂，不仅通过与血液和体液直接接触，而且通过微生物渗透通过屏障织物， 以及气溶胶和液滴传播。由于保护方面的限制，目前的个人防护设备并不理想地适合HCW的需要 和舒适性，例如落纱过程中的自身污染、装配不良和由脱水器提供的向内泄漏风险， 捕获空气传播的病原体，通过材料传播的困难，潜在的液体渗透， 执行适合和大小。目前的个人防护设备的局限性已导致医务工作者在与艾滋病毒/艾滋病作斗争时感染和死亡。 最近爆发的埃博拉、SARS和COVID-19等疫情。该项目的总体目标是开发改进的PPE， 医疗废物，强调自我净化功能。在这个项目中，我们将开发新的纺织材料， 净化财产然后，我们将应用现有的材料和本项目中开发的材料， 隔离衣和呼吸器一种新颖的设计方法将被应用于创建一个新的，无缝的，自我净化的个人防护设备 该系统与任何当前可用的PPE相比具有上级的舒适性、贴合性和功能性。证据- 的设计过程将结合三维（3D）身体扫描和运动学运动分析，以实现 大大提高了耐磨性和功能性。我们将使用最近开发和验证的Faceseal概念， 开发一种由生物杀灭材料制成的过滤式面罩呼吸器（FFR），该呼吸器将具有接近完美的贴合性。模拟 将确定新呼吸器的工作场所保护系数（SWPF）。总体PPE性能设计将 使用仪器人体模型、专门设计的人体试验和性能测试进行评估。获得的数据 这些评估的结果将用于进一步改进新开发的PPE组件。多学科小组 在纤维/聚合物领域拥有成熟的知识和成功的业绩记录，为开展拟议的工作做好了充分准备 科学，纺织品，PPE设计和性能评估，呼吸器设计，气溶胶研究，运动生理学和 运动机能学合作研究所的最先进的设施和设备非常适合实现 研究目的。临床医生和流行病学家将作为该项目的顾问，提供见解和第一手资料， PPE的实施和使用经验。这个项目是重要的，因为它包含了NIOSH r2 p 通过从根本上指导新型PPE材料和最终产品的开发并提供技术基础， 在绩效评估方法上。这项工作的完成将提高PPE工程的水平， 职业性IID疾病和针对HCSA中解决传染病传播的中间目标 部门该项目的最终结果将使数百万名医护人员受益，并节省数十亿美元的医疗费用。

ABSTRACT This proposal addresses NIOSH sector of Healthcare and Social Assistance (HCSA) program (NAICS 62) and significant components of the Immune, Infectious and Dermal Disease Prevention (IID) cross sector. Over 21 million people are covered by the HCSA program in the United States and occupational IID diseases are of the most common illnesses affecting their safety and health. Personal protective equipment (PPE) as major intervention means is critical for healthcare workers’ (HCWs) health and safety. However, ineffective PPE can place HCWs and patients at risk of transmission of infectious agents, not only through direct contact with blood and body fluids, but also via microbial penetration through barrier fabrics, and aerosol and droplet transmission. Current PPE is not ideally suited to the needs of HCWs due to limitations in protection and comfort, such as self-contamination during doffing, poor fit and inward leakage risks offered by respirators, insufficient capture of airborne pathogens, difficulties in communication through materials, potential fluid penetration, and poorly executed fit and sizing. Limitations of current PPE have resulted in infections and mortalities of HCWs in fighting against recent outbreaks such as Ebola, SARS, and COVID-19. The overall goal of this project is to develop improved PPE for HCWs with an emphasis on self-decontaminating function. In this project, we will develop new textile materials with self- decontaminating property. Then, we will apply both the existing material and those materials developed in this project to isolation gown and respirator. A novel design approach will be applied to create a new, seamless, self-decontaminating PPE system with superior comfort, fit, and functionality compared with those of any currently available PPE. The evidence- based design process will incorporate three-dimensional (3D) body scanning and kinematic motion analysis to achieve greatly improved wearability and functionality. We will use the recently developed and validated Faceseal concept to develop a filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) made of biocidal material that will have a close-to-perfect fit. A Simulated Workplace Protection Factor (SWPF) will be determined for the new respirator. The overall PPE performance design will be evaluated using instrumented manikins, specifically designed human trials, and performance testing. The data obtained from these evaluations will be applied to further improve the newly-developed PPE components. The multidisciplinary team is well prepared to carry out the proposed work with established knowledge and successful track records in fiber/polymer science, textiles, PPE design and performance evaluation, respirator design, aerosol research, and exercise physiology and kinesiology. The state-of-the-art facilities and equipment across the collaborating institutes are ideally suited to fulfill the research aims. Clinicians and epidemiologists will serve as consultants on the project, offering insights and firsthand experiences of PPE implementation and utilization. This proposed project is significant since it embraces NIOSH r2p initiative by fundamentally directing novel PPE material and end products development and providing the technical basis in performance evaluation methods. The completion of the work will raise the horizon of PPE engineering in reducing occupational IID diseases and targeting the intermediate goal of addressing infectious disease transmission in the HCSA sector. The end outcomes of this proposed project will benefit millions of HCWs and save billions of healthcare costs.