The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recently hosted a public workshop on reusable healthcare textiles for use in personal protective equipment (PPE). MSE’s own Sundaresan Jayaraman served as the workshop chair for this event, leading an examination into ways to increase the use of reusable PPE textiles in order to create a more environmentally conscious PPE which also protects the health and safety of medical professionals and patients.

Particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread consumption of disposable PPE and subsequent shortages, gaps in the current PPE model were revealed as health care workers and patients alike were put at risk due to lack of access to PPE.
Joined by academic, public, and private professionals in the field, Dr. Jayaraman and the workshop committee explored the benefits as well as drawbacks of reusable PPE in medical settings, acknowledging both the general consensus of a need for more environmentally conscious PPE as well as the financial constraints that tend to keep disposable PPE the norm.

The committee took a systems perspective when considering the ecosystem of PPE in medicine as they explored difficulties and benefits to different forms of PPE shifting to a reusable textile. Additionally, the committee addressed administrative roadblocks and potential solutions for hospital systems seeking to switch to more reusable PPE. Ultimately, despite the financial and regulatory considerations, the panel presented the current state of disposable PPE and the need for increased access to reusable PPE textiles as an opportunity for innovations and explorations of sustainability.

Dr. Jayarman, alongside Dr. Sungmee Park, research faculty in MSE, is also a recent Phase 2 winner in the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s competition for a better respirator fit. As this was a public workshop, you can watch/read the proceedings here at the NASEM website.