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Beijing: Medical staff treating patients infected with COVID-19 found that 42.8 percent experienced serious skin injuries related to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, goggles, face shields, and gowns, according to A study.
The study, published in the journal Advances in Wound Care by a large team of Chinese researchers, said these skin lesions put staff at increased risk of infection, with insufficient prevention and treatment measures.
“We wanted to investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and preventive status of skin injuries caused by personal protective equipment (PPE) in medical personnel,” the authors wrote.
An online cross-sectional survey was conducted to understand skin lesions among medical personnel fighting COVID-19 from February 8 to 22. Participants voluntarily answered and sent the questionnaire with a cell phone.
The researchers found that the overall prevalence of skin lesions was 42.8 percent with three types of PPE-related skin lesions: device-related pressure injuries, moisture-related skin damage, and skin tears.
Several factors increased the risk of skin lesions: intense sweating, longer daily use time, being a man and using grade 3 versus grade 2 PPE.
Due to the emergency situation, there are some limitations for this study, such as it was difficult to observe the adverse result of skin lesions among medical personnel and impossible to compare the results of prevention and treatment measures.
“This could leave us opportunities for future studies,” the researchers noted. Another study, published in the Journal of Wound Care last month, emphasizes the problems that can arise with face masks, which health professionals wear over long periods.
The researchers suggested that people who wear masks keep their skin clean, well-hydrated and hydrated and that barrier creams should be applied at least half an hour before putting on masks.
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