Symptoms associated with personal protective equipment among frontline healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE Personal protective equipment (PPE) use is frequently construed as inconvenient and disturbing by healthcare professionals (HCPs). We hypothesized that new-onset symptoms among HCPs may be associated with extended use of PPE and aimed to investigate risk factors related with new-onset symptoms. In addition, the effects of new-onset symptoms on working performance were evaluated. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, 315 participants filled out a questionnaire that contains four main parts: 1) Demographics, 2) New-onset symptoms with PPE use, 3) PPE usage hours, 4) Personal opinion about the effect of sensed symptoms on working performance. RESULTS The mean age was 31.58 ± 4.6 years, and 50.5% (n=159) were female. New-onset symptom rate was 66% (n=208). The most common new-onset symptom was headache (n=115, 36.5%) followed by breathing difficulty-palpitation (n=79, 25.1%) and dermatitis (n=64, 20.3%). Extended use of PPE, smoking, and overweight were independently associated with developing new-onset symptoms. A clear majority of symptomatic participants pointed out impact on working performance (193/208, 92.7%). CONCLUSION Hospitals should take the necessary precautions (e.g. shorter shifts and more often breaks) to prevent symptoms associated with PPE and ensure that HCPs comply with these precautions.