Assessing health care worker perceptions of face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic

•Face shields were reported to be better for breathing, cleanability, and prevention of face touching.•Face masks were found to be lighter and easier to wear especially among workers providing patient care.•Re-assessment of PPE and worker perceptions will need to be performed as products evolve and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of infection control 2021-04, Vol.49 (4), p.521-522
Main Authors: Alzunitan, Mohammed A., Perencevich, Eli N., Edmond, Michael B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brief Report
COVID-19 - prevention & control
Data Collection
Face mask
Face shield
Health Personnel
Hospitals
Humans
Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional
Perception
Personal Protective Equipment
PPE
SARS-CoV-2
Survey
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Summary:•Face shields were reported to be better for breathing, cleanability, and prevention of face touching.•Face masks were found to be lighter and easier to wear especially among workers providing patient care.•Re-assessment of PPE and worker perceptions will need to be performed as products evolve and transmission dynamics are better understood. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic created a significant disruption in the personal protective equipment (PPE) supply chain while simultaneously creating unprecedented demand for their use. Hospitals pursued different PPE strategies based on local factors, PPE availability, and interpretation of the evolving data on the epidemiology of the disease. After instituting universal face coverings, we sought to assess the comfort and tolerability, along with the advantages and disadvantages for face masks and face shields through a survey of employees at an academic medical center.
ISSN:0196-6553
1527-3296
DOI:10.1016/j.ajic.2020.09.006