Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 19;18(2):841. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020841.
Relevant personal protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic include face masks, possibly decreasing the risk of infection among the general population and healthcare workers (HCW) if utilized properly. The aim of the study was to assess whether different Polish HCW utilize face masks according to the 2020 World Health Organization guidance (WHO) criteria. This cross-sectional study included 1156 respondents who participated in an internet survey evaluating mask-related behaviors. All the WHO criteria were complied with by 1.4% of participants, regardless of medical profession, specialty or place of employment. HCW mostly adhered to criterion 1 (C1; strict covering of the face and mouth with the mask; 90.8%), C4 (washing/disinfecting the hands after touching/taking off the mask; 49%) and C3 (taking off the mask properly without touching the anterior surface; 43.4%), whereas C2 (avoidance of touching the mask with hands) was complied with least commonly (6.8%). HCW with mask-induced itch (31.6%) complied to C2 less often (odds ratio 0.53; = 0.01). The study reveals that Polish HCW rarely adhere to all the 2020 WHO guidance criteria on the use of masks, whereas the adherence to particular criteria is variable and may be associated with the presence of skin-related conditions and other factors. Better compliance with the recommendations in the future is necessary to increase personal safety of HCW and prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，相关的个人防护措施包括口罩，如果正确使用，可能会降低普通人群和医护人员（HCW）的感染风险。本研究旨在评估不同波兰 HCW 是否根据 2020 年世界卫生组织（WHO）指南标准使用口罩。这项横断面研究包括 1156 名参与者，他们参加了一项评估口罩相关行为的互联网调查。无论医疗专业、专业或工作地点如何，所有参与者都遵守了 1.4%的 WHO 标准。HCW 主要遵守标准 1（C1；严格用口罩覆盖面部和嘴巴；90.8%）、C4（触摸/脱下口罩后洗手/消毒；49%）和 C3（正确脱下口罩而不接触前表面；43.4%），而 C2（避免用手触摸口罩）遵守得最少（6.8%）。有口罩引起瘙痒的 HCW（31.6%）遵守 C2 的频率较低（比值比 0.53； = 0.01）。研究表明，波兰 HCW 很少遵守 2020 年 WHO 关于口罩使用的所有指南标准，而对特定标准的遵守情况是可变的，并且可能与皮肤相关疾病和其他因素有关。未来需要更好地遵守这些建议，以提高 HCW 的个人安全并防止 SARS-CoV-2 的传播。
