Impact of full personal protective equipment on alertness of healthcare workers: a prospective study.
Elhag, Sabba Turner, James Osuri, Pranav Kannan, Santhana
Elhag, Sabba
Turner, James
Osuri, Pranav
Kannan, Santhana
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Affiliation
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust
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Publication date
2022-01
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Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in healthcare workers (HCWs) having to wear full personal protective equipment (FPPE) even for routine patient care. When worn for prolonged periods, FPPE has the potential to adversely affect the ability of HCW to carry out their tasks. This study aimed to assess the impact of FPPE on the alertness levels of HCWs in the intensive care unit. Fifty HCWs were tested using psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) and serial sevens test (SST) on two occasions during their shift-once without FPPE and once after they had been in FPPE for at least 2 hours. The median time in FPPE was 2.5 hours. FPPE induced a significant increase in the average reaction time and the number of false responses in PVT. Subjects took longer to complete SST in FPPE compared with without it. This study demonstrates that being in FPPE for as little as 2.5 hours can adversely affect HCW alertness. The findings of this study are relevant in terms of workforce environment considerations as the use of FPPE in certain settings is likely to become a regular feature.
Citation
Wells, H. J., Raithatha, M., Elhag, S., Turner, J., Osuri, P., & Kannan, S. (2022). Impact of full personal protective equipment on alertness of healthcare workers: a prospective study. BMJ open quality, 11(1), e001551. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001551
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Article