Physiological Hazard Assessment While Wielding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Among Health Care Workers

Introduction Accurate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is an essential part of infection prevention and control measures to protect health care workers and patients from various hazardous conditions. Health care workers caring for patients with potentially infectious health conditions are using PPE for long periods of time. However, long-term use of PPE can cause many physiological health hazards among health care workers. So, the current study was carried out to assess the general health problems and dermatological problems experienced by health care workers with PPE use. Materials and methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey has been carried out in two selected tertiary care hospitals in central India by recruiting 301 health care workers. Non-probability convenient sampling technique was used to select participants for the study. Sociodemographic Performa and structured questionnaires were used to collect data on demographic characteristics of the participants and various health problems experienced by health care workers with PPE use. Collected data were analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. Results The current study reported excessive sweating (86.4%), difficulty in reading (85%), dry mouth (80.7%), and breathing difficulty (74.1%) as the most common problem associated with PPE use. In addition to this, adverse reactions like headache, restlessness, and dizziness were reported by 70.1%, 64.5%, and 50.8%. Indentation and pain on the back of the ears (76.1%), skin soaking (67.1%), and excessive sweating (76.1%) were identified as the most common problems related to N-95 masks, gloves, and coverall use.  Conclusion The current study revealed a higher incidence of various health problems with PPE use among health care workers. The findings of the study highlight the importance of developing various guidelines to reduce the negative impact of PPE use and implementing preventive measures to decrease health problems associated with PPE use.