Symptoms Associated With Personal Protective Equipment Among Frontline Health Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Disaster medicine and public health preparedness Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 987 - 990
• Main Authors: Çağlar, Ahmet, Kaçer, İlker, Hacımustafaoğlu, Muhammet, Öztürk, Berkant, Öztürk, Kemal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.06.2022
• Subjects: Body mass index; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Dermatitis; Health care; Original Research; Pandemics; Personal protective equipment; Protective equipment; Risk factors; West Africa; Turkey; COVID-19; working performance; dermatitis; personal protective equipment; headache
• ISSN: 1935-7893; 1938-744X; 1938-744X
• DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2020.455

Personal protective equipment (PPE) use is frequently construed as inconvenient and disturbing by health care professionals (HCPs). We hypothesized that new-onset symptoms among HCPs may be associated with extended use of PPE and aimed to investigate risk factors related with new-onset symptoms. In addition, the effects of new-onset symptoms on working performance were evaluated. In this cross-sectional study, 315 participants filled out a questionnaire that contains 4 main parts: (1) demographics, (2) new-onset symptoms with PPE use, (3) PPE usage hours, and (4) personal opinion about the effect of sensed symptoms on working performance. The mean age was 31.58 ± 4.6 years, and 50.5% (n = 159) were female. New-onset symptom rate was 66% (n = 208). The most common new-onset symptom was headache (n = 115, 36.5%) followed by breathing difficulty-palpitation (n = 79, 25.1%), and dermatitis (n = 64, 20.3%). Extended use of PPE, smoking, and overweight were independently associated with developing new-onset symptoms. A clear majority of symptomatic participants pointed out the impact on working performance (193/208, 92.7%). Hospitals should take the necessary precautions (eg, shorter shifts and more frequent breaks) to prevent symptoms associated with PPE and ensure that HCPs comply with these precautions.