Academic Chair, Wound, Ostomy and Continence Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada/Advanced Practice Nurse, KDS Professional Consulting, Ottawa.
Nurse Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Br J Nurs. 2022 Aug 11;31(15):S30-S36. doi: 10.12968/bjon.2022.31.15.S30.
To explore the impact that prolonged use of personal protective equipment (PPE) has on the skin integrity of Canadian health professionals.
A descriptive, pan-Canadian, cross-sectional, online survey was carried out to explore the type and prevalence of PPE-related skin injury among Canadian health professionals. Convenience sampling was used to disseminate the online survey link to health professionals.
There were responses from 757 health professionals. Masks worn included surgical masks (90%), a combination of surgical or N95/KN95 masks (7.7%) and an N95/KN95 mask alone (2.7%). Responses showed 84.6% of providers always wear a mask while at work with 38.5% wearing the same mask all shift; 90% of participants wore protective eye wear. Complications included soreness or pressure injuries behind the ears (70%), new or worsening acne (52%), a runny nose or sneezing (45%), itching (39%), and dry skin (37%). Hand issues included dry skin (53%), red skin (30%), itching (26%), broken skin (20%), rash (16%), and dermatitis (11%) - 51% of respondents did not moisturise their hands. Complications related to gown use included itching (6%), moisture-associated skin damage (5.5%), feeling claustrophobic (4.5%), and new or worsening acne (3%). Increased perspiration due to PPE was experienced in 87.5% of respondents. Some 43% of respondents noted their mental health became worse due to wearing PPE for prolonged periods.
These findings should be used in the development of guidelines to prevent and manage PPE-related skin injuries among health professionals. Education for professionals should focus on skin protection, prevention of PPE-related skin complications and support for mental health issues.
探讨加拿大卫生专业人员长时间使用个人防护设备 (PPE) 对皮肤完整性的影响。
采用描述性、全加、横断面、在线调查，探索加拿大卫生专业人员中与 PPE 相关的皮肤损伤的类型和流行情况。采用方便抽样法向卫生专业人员发送在线调查链接。
共收到 757 名卫生专业人员的回复。使用的口罩包括外科口罩（90%）、外科口罩和 N95/KN95 口罩的组合（7.7%）以及单独的 N95/KN95 口罩（2.7%）。结果显示，84.6%的医护人员在工作时始终佩戴口罩，其中 38.5%的人全天佩戴同一口罩；90%的参与者佩戴防护眼罩。并发症包括耳朵后面疼痛或压疮（70%）、新发或恶化的痤疮（52%）、流鼻涕或打喷嚏（45%）、瘙痒（39%）和皮肤干燥（37%）。手部问题包括皮肤干燥（53%）、皮肤发红（30%）、瘙痒（26%）、皮肤破损（20%）、皮疹（16%）和皮炎（11%）——51%的受访者没有涂抹护手霜。与长袍使用相关的并发症包括瘙痒（6%）、与湿气相关的皮肤损伤（5.5%）、感觉幽闭恐怖症（4.5%）和新发或恶化的痤疮（3%）。87.5%的受访者表示由于佩戴 PPE，出汗增多。约 43%的受访者表示，由于长时间佩戴 PPE，他们的心理健康状况恶化。
这些发现应用于制定指南，以预防和管理卫生专业人员与 PPE 相关的皮肤损伤。专业人员的教育应侧重于皮肤保护、预防 PPE 相关皮肤并发症以及心理健康问题的支持。
