It's evident to most medical workers that medical face masks are a critical part of establishing cleanliness in doing nearly any kind of health care. From the operating room to the outpatient facility, these tools (part of a category referred to as PPE or personal protective equipment) form the front lines for controlling infections or the spread of contagions. Medical face masks are a simple way to promote health, and so they are ubiquitous in any medical area.

In addition to formal medical training which covers the use of medical face masks and other PPE, the web has additional resources for medical workers on medical grade face masks and their role in the industry. Readers can find:

1. Supplemental info for surgeons on how to use surgical face masks within a clinical environment as well as more general guides to this kind of PPE.

2. More on using hospital face masks in an outpatient situation, or in theoretical cases like the outbreak of some pathogen or toxin.

3. Additional info on medical face mask types from guide sites for the industry.

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Learn about medical face masks in surgical environments

Surgeons and their assistants can take note of handy resources for taking advantage of medical face shields and masks in their daily work. These pages and sites should not be a substitute for the fundamental training and instruction that goes on within a clinical environment.

I recommend: Get info on using medical and doctor face mask types in a surgery environment as well as first responder training options from CPR Face Masks. Get more training tips for surgeons from sites like K-Medical on using these tools to prevent infection and promote health in a surgical environment.

Find more on medical face masks in other situations

Other sites include resources on using permanent or disposable face masks beyond the operating room: readers can take a look at some diverse materials from both hospital networks and government organizations that teach medical staff about the necessity of using these kinds of tools.

I recommend: Readers can find general information on using medical masks in an outpatient or general medical area from care sites like ChristianaCare online where guidelines and tips are presented to professionals. For learning about using medical face masks in theoretical or scenario situations, including the spread of an airborne outbreak, check the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Infection Control site.

Locate medical face masks supplementary info online

For more on the changing face of medical face masks in today's (and yesterday's) medical field, check out additional sources of details online for learning how medical face masks get attention from medical professionals.

I recommend: Get guidance on selecting a medical face mask for a medical environment from Infection Control Today. Get more on the history of this kind of gear at sites like Buzzle.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Let medical face masks education and training be the gateway into greater health in a clinical establishment: allow this training to permeate into all levels of staff and add to it some other fundamentals like hand-washing to really triumph over infection and contagion in a facility.

Medical face masks are made of a variety of materials, in many shapes, sizes, colors and most importantly protective options. Deciding what kind of medical face masks are right for your location isn't always easy. Compare your face mask options by narrowing down what masks are needed in which departments.

Buy surgical and medical face masks wholesale to save your organization money. If you go through hundreds of masks a week, it makes more sense to your bottom line to find the best masks at the lowest wholesale price possible. While looking for the best prices, don't forget why you're buying face masks--to keep your employees and patients safe.

1. Take inventory of the number of medical masks you use and what they are used for.

2. Find a mask supplier that carries all the different types of masks you'll need so you can keep your purchases together.

3. Order larger quantities to save money. Instead of buying new medical masks each quarter, consider buying a year's worth of masks at one time.

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Find medical grade face masks for doctors' or dentists' offices, clinics or entire hospitals

Look for dental or doctor face mask options from large supply companies with more of a selection. Find medical face masks with good bacterial filtration standards, but also look for a comfortable mask that your employees or patients will wear without hesitation.

I recommend: Buy wholesale medical face masks at Med 101. Look for the medical masks that meet the needs of your employees and patients. Buy dental or surgical folding medical masks at Superior Gloves, Ltd.

Buy surgical masks with proper protection

Doctor face mask aren't all made the same. When you're looking for surgical masks or medical face shields, you'll want to make sure they are made to a higher standard and for sterile use. It's also important that surgical masks be made to fit comfortably because of the long hours they are often used.

I recommend: Buy your procedural medical face mask with comfort and safety in mind from Direct Disposables, LLC, or purchase sterile masks made for comfort at Masks-n-More. You can find tie-on surgical masks with eye shields at Med Supplies Online.

Choose medical masks to prevent disease spread among patients

Buy disposable face masks for your patients to wear during high-risk flu season or other emergency infectious situations. Look for the good quality mask with the best price. Keep your employees and patients protected by offering or requiring masks at entrances or near any high-risk patient areas.

I recommend: Buy medical face masks for general public use at Quick Medical. For clinic or home use, consider buying particulate respirator N-95 masks for home or clinic from Home Emergency USA.

Look for washable medical face masks to use often

If you suffer from severe allergies, asthma or are prone to viral or bacterial infections, a washable medical face mask can be a blessing. Look for masks that filter out pollen, dust, mold and other airborne bacteria. These washable masks work great for a person with ongoing medical problems, but they're also useful for airplane or train travelers who spend hours in close contact with many people in poor air filtration situations.

I recommend: The washable medical face mask from Breathe Healthy offers protection from allergens, bacteria, cold weather and more. The Silk Comfort Mask by I Can Breathe! Masks offers allergy suffers a convenient, washable mask to block pollen, dust, mold and soot.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Remember that not all medical face shields or masks fit the same. An adult size mask will not properly protect a small child, so you'll need to buy child size masks for your younger patients.
• •  Ask your doctors their opinions before buying face masks. Those who wear them will definitely have an opinion on which are more comfortable and reliable.

Medical face masks, or surgical masks, are the primary defense against bacteria, fluids and other pathogens that can be either inhaled or come in contact with the membranes of the nose and mouth. Masks are typically designed to cover both the mouth and the nose loosely, but snug enough to be protective. While all medical face masks may look the same (tied around the head or able to bend at the nose), they are not created the same. There are differences in protection levels and how they are designed to fit. Knowing some medical face mask key terms can help you select the appropriate face mask for your area of need.

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Personal protective equipment

Personal protective equipment, or PPE, is anything that can be used to protect the wearer against sickness or injury while wearing it. For the health care industry, a PPE protects not only the wearer from infection or bodily fluid contamination, but also protects patients from contamination from the wearer.

I recommend: Visit Center for Devices and Radiological Health to find information on buying, using, disposing of and cleaning personal protective equipment.

Particulate respirator

A particulate respirator is a type of air purifying respirator. This type of disposable respirator works to filter out particles from the air. Particulate respirators vary in strength and the resistance to oil.

I recommend: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health lists each of the nine types of particulate respirators and a brief description of the attributes of each.

Bacterial filtration efficiency

Tests to measure the bacterial filtration efficiency, or BFE, are performed on medical face masks. What the test measures is how much of a sprayed airborne pathogen is able to make it through the face mask.

I recommend: Visit Nelson Laboratories to find out more on the tests performed to test bacterial filtration efficiency.

N95 medical masks

The N95 medical mask is the most widely used face mask. It filters out 95-percent of airborne particles and is commonly used in surgical, medical and dental procedures. This mask can also protect from allergens, which is why people like to wear them when doing yard work.

I recommend: Masks N More has many examples of N95 medical masks.

Ear loop

The ear loop is one of the ways the mask attaches to the head of the wearer. In this case, there are two cotton elastic loops on each side of the mask that go behind the ears to secure the mask to the face.

I recommend: Visit Superior Gloves' Synergy Dental website to see what a medical face mask with an ear loop looks like. BFE ratings are also supplied for the mask.

Tie-on

Another way to secure the medical face mask to the wearer is by a tie-on. This is normally four cotton strings, with two on each side of the mask, that tie behind the head of the wearer.

I recommend: CriticalTool has examples of medical masks that use a tie-on, and BFE ratings of the masks are also given.