PAHO trains healthcare workers in respiratory protection
The Pan American Health Organization(PAHO), through the Infectious Hazard Management Unit, has trained 238 healthcare workers and representatives from 12 selected Latin American and Caribbean countries: Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Paraguay, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. This training aims to support the implementation of respiratory protection programs in these countries. The training was a collaborative effort between PAHO and the University of Maryland, a WHO collaborating center, with support from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Respiratory Protection Program for Healthcare Workers aims to implement control measures to mitigate respiratory risks. The program includes both in-person and virtual training, as well as a manual (which is the first respiratory protection program manual published by PAHO. The training also provides guidance on successfully implementing the program at the national and institutional levels.
The program covers several key aspects, including: a) necessary infrastructure, b) human and material resources required to support the program in different healthcare settings, c) selection criteria for appropriate respiratory protection equipment, including guidance on technical standards and quantities needed, d) fit testing procedures, e) training healthcare workers in equipment use, and monitoring equipment implementation. In addition to training, each country was provided with equipment for the program roll-out.
The overall objective of the training is to strengthen the capacity of countries and healthcare facilities to establish respiratory protection programs, with a particular emphasis on the use of respiratory devices within infection prevention and control (IPC) programs. This training is critical given the risks highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated the transmission of respiratory illnesses in healthcare settings, adversely affecting both patients and healthcare workers. Implementing respiratory protection programs in these countries will enhance the protection of healthcare workers from respiratory exposure to potentially harmful chemical and physical agents, including future surges in COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses.
The respiratory protection course has been published in both languages and has 22,747 participants, of whom 13,630 have been certified. Additionally, the PCI course has been conducted in Spanish, with 230 participants, 136 of whom have been certified. In February 2024, outbreak management training was provided to 83 healthcare workers in three countries: Colombia, Guatemala, and Paraguay.
