Current practices and barriers to the use of facemasks and respirators among hospital-based health care workers in Vietnam

• Knowledge, attitudes, and practices around the use of facemasks and respirators were examined.
• Views were mixed regarding the protection afforded by various types of facemasks.
• The availability of products was the main issue highlighted by participants.
• Facemask use is limited to selected situations, locations, and types of patients.
• Extended use and reuse of facemasks is a common practice in low-resource settings.

BackgroundThis study aimed to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards the use of facemasks among hospital-based health care workers (HCWs) in Hanoi, Vietnam.MethodsA qualitative study incorporating 20 focus groups was conducted between August 2010 and May 2011. HCWs from 7 hospitals in Vietnam were invited to participate.ResultsIssues associated with the availability of facemasks (medical and cloth masks) and respirators was the strongest theme to emerge from the discussion. Participants reported that it is not unusual for some types of facemasks to be unavailable during nonemergency periods. It was highlighted that the use of facemasks and respirators is not continuous, but rather is limited to selected situations, locations, and patients. Reuse of facemasks and respirators is also common in some settings. Finally, some participants reported believing that the reuse of facemasks, particularly cloth masks, is safe, whereas others believed that the reuse of masks put staff at risk of infection.ConclusionsIn low and middle-income countries, access to appropriate levels of personal protective equipment may be restricted owing to competing demands for funding in hospital settings. It is important that issues around reuse and extended use of medical masks/respirators and decontamination of cloth masks are addressed in policy documents to minimize the risk of infection.