Skin-related problems associated with the use of personal protective equipment among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A online survey study

• Published in: Journal of tissue viability 2022-02, Vol.31 (1), p.112-118
• Main Authors: Gürlek Kısacık, Öznur, Özyürek, Pakize
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Health care workers; Health Personnel; Humans; Pandemics; Personal Protective Equipment; SARS-CoV-2; Skin-related problems; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0965-206X; 0965-206X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jtv.2022.01.003

The aim of this study was to determine the skin-related problems caused by personal protective equipment (PPE) use in health care workers (HCWs) and to identify the factors contributing to their occurrence. This descriptive and cross-sectional online survey study was carried out with 297 HCWs working in a university hospital in Turkey between March 20, 2021, and May 20, 2021. The study data was collected using an online questionnaire consisting of 3 parts. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's Chi-square, and Fisher's Exact Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. Among the HCWs, 95.6% reported that skin-related problems associated with at least one PPE use. Skin-related problems that develop due to PPE use were mostly associated with the use of Surgical/N95 masks (97.1%) and gloves (96.8%). The most commonly reported problems were ''dryness'' (%74.0) and ''itching'' (%72.1) when wearing gloves, ''perspiration and moisture'' (73.6%), ''formation of equipment traces'' (53.9%), and ''skin lesions'' (52.8%) when wearing a surgical/N95 mask, ''perspiration and moisture'' (89.7%) when wearing protective overalls/gowns. Wearing PPE for more than 4h (p=0.001), taking additional precautions to increase the sense of protection (p=0.026), and not applying preventive measures while using PPE (p=0.003) significantly increase the risk of skin-related problems. The results suggest that skin-related problems due to the use of PPE are common among HCWs. •Skin-related problems from the use of personal protective equipment are critical to employee safety.•Skin-related problems were mostly associated with the use of gloves and Surgical/N95 masks.•Dryness and itching were the most common problems related to the use of gloves.•The nasal bridge, behind the ear and around, and chin were the areas most affected by the use of Surgical/N95 masks.•Wearing PPE for more than 4 h significantly increase the risk of skin-related problems.