Behavior in the use of face masks in the context of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: Investigation of potential erroneous behavior in the general public's use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: We conducted a naturalistic observational study in the period from April to June 2020. SAMPLE: In two western Austrian provinces, a total of 2080 persons were observed in front of 24 grocery stores. MEASUREMENT: The frequencies and types of erroneous behavior in the use of face masks were collected using a standardized observation form. RESULTS: A total of 2080 persons were observed. Almost one-third of all observations (n = 648; 31.2%) showed erroneous behavior before positioning the face masks. Another 935 (45.0%) persons touched the face mask front during the adjustment via mouth and nose, 501 (24.1%) persons touched the face mask front in the period after the adjustment. A total of 116 (5.6%) persons showed erroneous behavior in each sequence of the observation unit. Overall, almost half of all people observed showed at least one erroneous behavior within the observation period. CONCLUSIONS: The behavior of the general public in handling face masks is highly error-prone. Decision makers must increasingly provide accompanying information and educational measures in order to encourage the population at risk to use face masks correctly.

[Make nursing practice visible through nursing science in times of COVID-19]. / Pflegepraxis durch Pflegewissenschaft in Zeiten von COVID-19 sichtbar machen.

Due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) nursing practice is facing enormous challenges. Nevertheless, nursing science was hardly actively represented as a mouthpiece for the practice in the public discussions on the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the question arises which projects with a focus on nursing and COVID-19 have been carried out at Austrian universities. Overall, six projects were identified using the snowball method. Of the studies one showed that an increased wearing time of masks is associated with an increased stress level for nursing personnel. An additional study result showed that almost 50% of lay people used masks incorrectly. Individual experiences, interventions undertaken and solution approaches from the perspective of the nursing staff with respect to ethical challenges in nursing homes were collected in a further project. This and other projects show that nursing science, with its knowledge and as a voice for nursing practice, has taken the initiative and contributes to the COVID-19 discourse. Additionally, the findings of the projects can be used as a basis for making future political decisions.