Observation on the protective effects of 2 different protective stickers on facial injury/discomfort caused by protective appliances

ABSTRACT

Objective: To observe the protective effects of 2 kinds of protective stickers made from different materials on facial injury/discomfort caused by wearing protective appliances of military medical members in the medical team supporting Hubei, so as to provide reference for developing convenient and effective protective measures. Methods Totally 147 military medical members in the medical team supporting Hubei were surveyed by the self-designed questionnaire of facial injury/discomfort caused by wearing protective appliances. Cross-sectional survey of the facial injury/discomfort before and after using the protective gel stickers (Haishen stickers, developed by the Faculty of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University [Second Military Medical University]) or 3M hydrophilic dressing was conducted, and the protective effects of the 2 kinds of protective stickers on facial injury/discomfort were compared. Results A total of 78 medical members finished the questionnaires (62 cases with Haishen stickers and 16 cases with 3M hydrophilic dressings). The scores of facial injury/discomfort were significantly reduced in both groups after using the protective stickers (both, P<0.05);however, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups before or after using the protective stickers (both, P>0.05). The top 4 moderate-to-severe facial injury/discomfort were fogging of protective glasses/masks (85.9%, 67/78), skin indentation (80.8%, 63/78), pain at the contact sites (74.4%, 58/78) and sultry (71.8%, 56/78), and the overall proportion of moderate-to-severe injury/discomfort was 80.8% (63/78);after using the protective stickers, the top 4 moderate-to-severe facial injury/discomfort were fogging of glasses/masks (53.8%, 42/78), sultry (41.0%, 32/78), respiratory resistance (41.0%, 32/78) and skin indentation (38.5%, 30/78), with the overall proportion of moderate to severe injury/discomfort being 43.6% (34/78);and the top 4 improvement rates of facial injury/discomfort after using protective stickers were skin erosion (76.5%), skin redness (67.3%), pain at the contact sites (63.8%), and itching at the contact site (52.9%). Conclusion These 2 kinds of protective stickers made from different materials can improve the facial injury/discomfort caused by protective appliances, which is worth popularizing.