The Impact of Personal Protective Equipment on Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Health Care Work

Abstract

Objective Personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical to the safety of health professionals and vital to clinical practice. However, there is little known about the cognitive and emotional impact of PPE on health professionals’ performance, comfort, and well-being. Methods A mixed-method, cross-sectional, observational study was adopted. An online survey consisting of 5-point Likert scale questions and free-text comments canvassed the opinions of patient-facing health professionals. Results An overall negative impact of PPE on health professionals’ ability to carry out work was found from 185 responses from medicine, nursing, and allied health disciplines, including increased fatigue, poor communication, and feeling uncomfortable. Conclusions There are significant negative impacts of PPE on health professionals’ ability to carry out work, impairing communication, task efficiency, and comfort. Personal protective equipment is an essential infection control practice requiring further research, design, and testing to overcome challenges.