• Ciara O'Byrne, Fred Kenny, Sarah Eustace, and John P Gibbons.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin 7, Ireland. ciaraeobyrne@gmail.com.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2022 Feb 1; 191 (1): 9710297-102.

IntroductionCOVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020. With the sudden surge in demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), significant concerns regarding the ongoing availability emerged. One solution proposed is re-sterilisation of respirator masks and this has been commenced in some parts of the world. On review of the literature, very little is documented regarding the knowledge of masks and the attitudes of healthcare workers towards using re-sterilised masks.MethodsA comprehensive questionnaire was used to assess general knowledge and attitudes around facemasks and respirators.ResultsThere were 190 respondents. There were significant gaps in knowledge and understanding of when particular face masks should be worn. One-third had significant concerns about ongoing availability. One-third had concerns about the quality of the masks as the pandemic continued. Only 10% of respondents underwent formal face-fitting. Eighty percent of respondents stated they would wear a re-sterilised mask. A further 15% would use a re-sterilised mask but required certain reassurances. Five percent of our respondents would not use a re-sterilised mask under any circumstances.DiscussionEnsuring an adequate understanding of face masks is crucial among healthcare workers (HCWs) and this study highlights a need for further education. It also demonstrates a general acceptability among HCWs towards the use of re-sterilised face masks.© 2021. Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.

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