Australian emergency nurses' experiences of working with personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study

Dempster, Penelope; Hutchinson, Ana; Oldland, Elizabeth; Bouchoucha, Stéphane L.

doi:10.1016/j.auec.2023.08.003

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Incorrect PPE use has been associated with a reduction in the effectiveness of the PPE and increases the risk of transmission of COVID-19 ( 26 ). During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic PPE supply chains were severely impacted resulting in PPE shortages, and limited choice in the available types of PPE products, meaning HCWs were limited in their choice of P2/N95 mask and not able to access one that provided a correct fit, potentially increasing the risk of adverse reactions experienced ( 27 ). Rationing of PPE supplies that are normally indicated for single use, resulting in inappropriate or sub-optimal use may pose an increased threat and be a contributing factor to adverse reactions ( 7 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Australian health care workers experience of PPE related side-effects. A cross-sectional survey

McKenna,

Bouchoucha,

Redley

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionProtection of health care workers (HCWs) is a fundamental aspect of an effective pandemic response. During the COVID-19 pandemic, frequency, and duration of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use increased. The experience of PPE-related side-effects has potential to contribute to decreased compliance resulting in breaches in infection prevention and increasing risk of HCW exposure. This study aims were to measure the frequency of PPE-related side-effects amongst HCW in Australia, and to establish if an increased frequency of adverse reactions was related to the significant increase in use and extended duration of time spent in PPE.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional survey was used.ResultsOf the 559 respondents the majority were female (83.7%), aged 31–45 years old (33.6%). A pre-existing skin condition was reported by 266 (47.6%). Frequency of PPE related side-effects were: pressure-related 401 (71.7%), skin 321 (57.4%) and respiratory 20 (3.6%). Surgical mask use was significantly associated with pre-exiting skin conditions (β = 1.494 (SE 0.186), df (1), p < 0.001). Side effects to N95 respirator use was more commonly reported by staff working in COVID-19 high-risk areas (β = 0.572 (SE 0.211), df (1), p = 0.007) independent of work duration (β = −0.056 (SE 0.075), df (1), p = 0.456), and pre-existing skin conditions (β = 1.272, (SE.198), df (1), p < 0.001).ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic has seen a significant increase in the use of PPE. While the preventative benefits of PPE are significant, adverse events related to PPE use are frequently reported by HCW. Findings in this study highlight the need for innovation in PPE design to maximize protection while decreasing adverse effects and maintaining adhere to use.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Australian health care workers experience of PPE related side-effects. A cross-sectional survey

McKenna,

Bouchoucha,

Redley

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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“…From a communicative standpoint, transparent masks which allow most of the face to remain visible likely provide the most benefit (e.g., the whole lower face visible as opposed to just the mouth), while the type of material used likely impacts the acoustic properties for speech. Successful transparent mask design must also maximize both safety and comfort, which is one of the largest factors that healthcare workers report impacting transparent mask compliance (Dempster et al, 2024). In other words, is important that transparent mask designs facilitate communication while also optimizing disease protection and wearability.…”

Section: Caveats and Outstanding Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving masked communication: the case for transparent masks

McCrackin,

Ristic

2024

Front. Commun.

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Clear and compassionate communication is tantamount to quality of care and patient wellbeing. Yet, much of communication in healthcare occurs with lower faces visually hidden behind opaque face masks. Visual occlusion of the face by masks impairs both verbal and nonverbal communication, including recognition of basic emotions, perceptions of trustworthiness, emotional understanding, and empathic responding. This piece presents a brief overview of the new COVID-19 inspired literature which shows that visual face occlusion creates significant communication barriers which can be reduced by wearing transparent instead of opaque masks.

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Risk assessment and the use of personal protective equipment in an emergency department: Differing perspectives of emergency and infection control clinicians. A video-vignette survey

Hor,

Wyer,

Barratt

et al. 2024

American Journal of Infection Control

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Australian emergency nurses' experiences of working with personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study

Cited by 4 publications

References 54 publications

Australian health care workers experience of PPE related side-effects. A cross-sectional survey

Australian health care workers experience of PPE related side-effects. A cross-sectional survey

Improving masked communication: the case for transparent masks

Risk assessment and the use of personal protective equipment in an emergency department: Differing perspectives of emergency and infection control clinicians. A video-vignette survey

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