ABSTRACT
Background: The risk of transmission of novel SARS CoronaVirus-2 among health care workers can be reduced using personal protective equipment. It is critical to follow guidelines for appropriate use of protective gear to avoid its wastage. This study aimed to evaluate frontline healthcare workers' understanding of effective donning and doffing of protective equipment in the wake of recent emergence of corona virus disease.Physical impacts due to its prolonged usage were also identified. Material and Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted targeting frontline health care workers from June till July 2021. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 24. Descriptive analysis was performed for qualitative variables.Chi-square test was utilized to determine association between qualitative variables and p <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: A total of 204 responses were received. Surgical masks (53.9%), gloves (51.5%), gowns (46.1%) and N95 respirator (40.7%) were most frequently used. Physicians had better knowledge on correct utilization of protective equipment as compared to non-physicians, p<0.001.Only 55.9% and 47.1% participants knew correct donning and doffing sequence respectively.The most prevalent mistakes while doffingwere touching front of mask and potentially contaminated surfaces followed by incorrect doffing sequence.Mostrespondentsmentioned scarcity of protective gear. Around 53% participants did not attend any training session on utilization of personal protective equipment. Prolonged exposure to masks and gloves led to acne, facial marks and itching. Frequent practice of hand hygiene was linked with skin dryness and cracking, p<0.001. Conclusion: We observed lack of expertise in donning and doffing technique. Mostly mistakes occurred during doffing, so interactive workshops are required to train health care workers.Most common dermatological manifestationsdue to use of masks and gloves included acne, facial markings, and itching. Adverse effects of prolonged use of PPE can be avoided by having shorter duration of working hours and giving rest during the shifts.
ABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2) is a new beta coronavirus that was identified as the trigger of COVID-19 disease in early 2020. Our study designed to survey the female undergraduate students at a private university in Saudi Arabia to assess the degree of psychological impact during the initial stages of the lockdown. During the first weeks of the outbreak in Saudi Arabia and the government-initiated lockdown, we conducted an online survey with 400 female undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia. The psychological impact was assessed by using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Our study shows that over the four weeks students showed clearly a change in the overall mental health and mood of our students. © 2021 Siddiqua Aamir and Carmen Winkel