Implementing fit testing for N95 filtering facepiece respirators: Practical information from a large cohort of hospital workers

Qualitative fit testing for N95 respirators was conducted on 1271 health care workers. All male participants were fitted with a respirator. Six females, all under age 40 years, were not successfully fitted. The first-choice respirator provided a successful fit in 95.1% of the men and 85.4% of the women. Gender and age in women were significant factors associated with successful fitting. These differences should be considered when implementing a respiratory protection program.