February/March 2017 (vol. 13/5)
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Research Plus
Respiratory protective equipment training
There is very low-quality evidence that training and education does not improve the correct use and wearing of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) this Cochrane systematic review found. It included 14 randomised controlled trials, controlled before-and-after studies and interrupted time series. For example, one study found no difference in the rate of correct use of RPE between workers who had been given training and fit testing with those who had received no such support. And in another, interactive computerised training was no more effective than passive training, where participants simply read the information in a book or on a computer. Larger, high-quality studies are needed to assess different types of interventions to promote the correct use of RPE.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016; 12: CD010157. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010157.pub2
Occupational Health at Work February/March 2017 (vol. 13/5) pp42