Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
USERN Care (TUMS) Office, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Nurs Forum. 2022 Sep;57(5):874-884. doi: 10.1111/nuf.12735. Epub 2022 May 16.
It is widely believed that using personal protective equipment (PPE) provides high levels of protection for healthcare workers (HCWs) in the fight against coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, the long-term use of PPE is inconvenient for HCWs and may cause physical discomfort. These factors could result in poor compliance and disrupt the health and safety of HCWs, which may negatively affect the patient's safety.
This study aimed to investigate the literature for the purpose of collecting convincing evidence of HCWs' physical problems associated with PPE use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This scoping review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, ProQuest, Science Direct, Springer, Biomed Central, and Google Scholar to identify the related literature.
HCWs have experienced various physical disorders including skin, respiratory, musculoskeletal, nervous, urinary, and circulatory system problems that are associated with PPE in various body systems. Among these, skin problems were the most frequent physical problems.
The literature demonstrated the adverse impacts of using PPE on HCWs. Therefore, healthcare policymakers should take the appropriate measures to improve the work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could consequently prevent and mitigate the adverse effects of using PPE.
人们普遍认为，使用个人防护设备（PPE）为医护人员（HCWs）抗击冠状病毒病（COVID-19）提供了高度保护。然而，长期使用 PPE 对 HCWs 来说并不方便，并且可能导致身体不适。这些因素可能导致依从性差，扰乱 HCWs 的健康和安全，从而可能对患者的安全产生负面影响。
本研究旨在调查文献，以收集有关 COVID-19 大流行期间与 PPE 使用相关的 HCWs 身体问题的令人信服的证据。
本范围综述使用 PubMed、Embase、ProQuest、Science Direct、Springer、Biomed Central 和 Google Scholar 进行，以确定相关文献。
HCWs 经历了各种身体障碍，包括与 PPE 在各种身体系统中相关的皮肤、呼吸、肌肉骨骼、神经、泌尿和循环系统问题。其中，皮肤问题是最常见的身体问题。
文献表明使用 PPE 对 HCWs 产生了不利影响。因此，医疗保健政策制定者应采取适当措施改善 COVID-19 大流行期间的工作环境，从而预防和减轻使用 PPE 的不利影响。
