Effect of Face Masks on Blood Saturation, Heart Rate, and Well-Being Indicators in Health Care Providers Working in Specialized COVID-19 Center

Izabela Wojtasz, Szczepan Cofta, Paweł Czudaj, Krystyna Jaracz and Radosław Kaźmierski
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Izabela Wojtasz: Department for Neurology with Stroke Unit, L. Bierkowski Hospital, 60-631 Poznan, Poland
Szczepan Cofta: Department of Pulmonology, Allergology and Respiratory Oncology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-569 Poznan, Poland
Paweł Czudaj: Faculty of Health Sciences, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-179 Poznan, Poland
Krystyna Jaracz: Department of Neurological Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-179 Poznan, Poland
Radosław Kaźmierski: Department of Neurology, Collegium Medicum, University of Zielona Gora, 65-046 Zielona Gora, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-9

Abstract: This study aims to investigate whether wearing face masks (filtering facepieces, FFP class 2) with personal protective equipment (FPP2/PPE), while working a 12-h shift in a COVID-19 referral center, affects the blood saturation, heart rate (HR), and well-being of health care providers (HCPs). The study included a group of 37 HCPs. To perform continuous recordings of the SpO 2 and heart rate (HR) in real time, we used a Nellcor PM10N (Covidien, Mansfield, MA, USA) portable monitoring system. SpO 2 , HR, and HCP well-being scales were measured during two 3-h shifts, while HCPs worked during a 12-h period. Additionally, each subject completed a questionnaire concerning their well-being. The difference in the SpO 2 level between the 1st and 2nd working shifts while wearing an FFP2/PPE was small, with a median decrease in SpO 2 of −1%. The scales of the well-being indicators increased within the shift. They were mainly fatigue and thirst with median scores of 2 out of 6 (range 0–4). We assume that during a 12-h period, a work scheme that consists of a 3-h shift in FFP2/PPE and a 3-h rest period (working without FPP2/PPE) is a reliable and safe solution for HCPs working in specialized COVID-19 referral hospitals.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; FFP2 respirator; oxygen saturation; personal protective equipment; face masks; heart rate; fatigue (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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