Use, failure, and non-compliance of respiratory personal protective equipment and risk of upper respiratory tract infections-A longitudinal repeated measurement study during the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers in Denmark.

Failures of RPE and non-compliance with RPE guidelines may increase the risk of URTI, compared to those who reported use of RPE as recommended. The implications of these findings are that the use of RPE to prevent URTI could be considered, especially while performing high-risk tasks where other prevention strategies are not achievable.