Under normal circumstances, N95 respirators are designed for single-use. However, in situations where there is a shortage of PPE, guidelines may allow for extended use and limited reuse. Extended use refers to wearing the same N95 respirator for repeated close contact encounters with multiple patients without removing it between encounters. Reuse involves using the same N95 respirator for multiple encounters but removing it after each encounter. Specific decontamination procedures must be followed to ensure safety.
