By Virginia Reid and Taylor Hurst

We will be keeping this resource updated on a rolling basis as new strategies and best practices are introduced. This checklist was last updated on May 12, 2020

A national shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) is forcing U.S. health systems to deploy creative strategies to conserve and improvise alternatives to face masks, respirators, eye protection, and gowns, though their efficacy is unproven.

Here we’ve assembled a running list of strategies US health systems and hospitals are using to disinfect, reuse, and create their own PPE.

Many of the strategies below have not been FDA or NIOSH approved and should be used only as a last resort when standard PPE is unavailable. Consult CDC guidance before using any replacements for standard PPE.