More Than a Barrier: Exploring the Personal and Professional Impact of Personal Protective Equipment Use in Healthcare.
Stéphane L Bouchoucha, Loïc Martin, Emmanuelle Cartron and 4 others
PMID 40968488WHAT IT FOUND
Healthcare workers in France reported frequent PPE-related skin and pressure injuries, hand hygiene reactions, and communication barriers for patients who lip-read or hear poorly, despite most feeling protected.
Key findings
01Surgical masks were reported to cause side effects by 54.6% of respondents, while 43.1% reported side effects with N95/P2 respirators.
02Adverse reactions to hand hygiene products were reported by 55.2% of respondents, with broken skin the most common at 31.5%.
03Respondents said PPE made care less inclusive for people relying on lip reading or hearing and made non-verbal communication more difficult.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The survey was distributed by email, LinkedIn, and snowballing, so the number invited and the hospitals reached were unknown; it may not represent all French healthcare workers. All outcomes were self-reported, including side effects and perceptions, not clinically assessed. People with strong opinions or side effects may have been more likely to respond. Most respondents were nurses (59.7%), so other professions were less represented. PPE supply shortages may have influenced experiences, although the main shortage period had partly passed. The study did not measure patient outcomes or test interventions.
Declared interests
One author, Stephane Bouchoucha, was an associate editor for the journal and a co-author; the manuscript was handled by unaffiliated editors. All other authors declared no conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that PPE reduces patient care quality. The study surveyed healthcare workers' perceptions and did not measure patient outcomes or test interventions.