In making its decision, the Joint Commission acknowledged that hospitals must reserve PPE for staff performing high-risk procedures. The Joint Commission also recognized that none of its standards prohibit the use of PPE from home, though the degree of protection privately owned masks and respirators offer is not known.
Homemade masks are an extreme measure and should only be used in the absence of standard PPE, the Joint Commission concluded.
Following the Joint Commission, the American Medical Association also backed the use of PPE brought from home, according to a March 31 news release.
More articles on infection control:
Is 6 feet apart enough? COVID-19 droplets may travel up to 27 feet, MIT researcher says
Novel coronavirus contaminates patient environment, new evidence shows
Cancer patients may be twice as likely to get COVID-19, study finds
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