Medical cold compress for medical device-related pressure injury during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak

ABSTRACT

Objective: Our aim was to investigate the effect of medical cold compress on preventing medical device-related pressure injuries (MDRPIs) that cause pain and itching of medical staff in the contact area of the mask and skin during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak. Methods: We enrolled 120 medical staffs in a hospital in the Wuhan epidemic-stricken area and randomly divided them into the observation group (used medical cold compress before wearing medical protective equipment) and the control group (didn’t use medical cold compress before wearing medical protective equipment), with 60 cases in each group. The cumulative use time of medical personal protective equipment (PPE) within a day, the continuous use time of PPE, average scores of overall discomforts (respiratory resistance caused by PPE, itching and pain in the contact area of the mask, etc.), and the incidence of skin allergy and contact dermatitis were recorded and compared between the two groups. Results: The time of cumulative use of PPE in a day and the time of continuous use of PPE were both significantly longer in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.001). Furthermore, the observation group showed significant decrease in the average scores of overall discomforts including respiratory resistance, itching and pain (P<0.001), and the incidence of skin allergy and contact dermatitis than the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions: Medical cold compress can exert a protective effect on MDRPIs in first-line medical staff, and prolong the use time of medical PPE, which is of high value for clinical application.