Associations between personal protective equipment and nursing staff stress during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study gives insights into the association between the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), wearing time of masks and stress among frontline nursing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PPE can have physical consequences like headache and pain, which could result in increased nurse stress levels.

A total of 2600 nurses participated in this online survey. The questionnaire is based on literature and includes the perceived level of stress scale.

We found no significant association between the use of PPE and stress. Nurses who wore masks for more than 8 h had significant higher stress levels than those who used the masks for a shorter period.

The duration of wearing masks is associated with nurse's stress level. Our findings can help nurses to argue a higher frequency of breaks and a maximum duration of mask usage in their organisations.

We recommend that nursing managers implement practical strategies such as a mask break task force. This task force could promote awareness for mask breaks and recommend and allocate rooms or locations such as balconies for mask breaks.