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. 2020 Jul;134(7):577-581.
doi: 10.1017/S0022215120001437. Epub 2020 Jul 28.

The negative impact of wearing personal protective equipment on communication during coronavirus disease 2019

T Hampton  1 , R Crunkhorn  1 , N Lowe  1 , J Bhat  1 , E Hogg  1 , W Afifi  1 , S De  1 , I Street  1 , R Sharma  1 , M Krishnan  1 , R Clarke  1 , S Dasgupta  1 , S Ratnayake  1 , S Sharma  1
Affiliations

The negative impact of wearing personal protective equipment on communication during coronavirus disease 2019

T Hampton et al. J Laryngol Otol. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 personal protective equipment has been reported to affect communication in healthcare settings. This study sought to identify those challenges experimentally.

Method: Bamford-Kowal-Bench speech discrimination in noise performance of healthcare workers was tested under simulated background noise conditions from a variety of hospital environments. Candidates were assessed for ability to interpret speech with and without personal protective equipment, with both normal speech and raised voice.

Results: There was a significant difference in speech discrimination scores between normal and personal protective equipment wearing subjects in operating theatre simulated background noise levels (70 dB).

Conclusion: Wearing personal protective equipment can impact communication in healthcare environments. Efforts should be made to remind staff about this burden and to seek alternative communication paradigms, particularly in operating theatre environments.

Keywords: Communication; Coronavirus Infections; Health Personnel; Noise; Protective Devices.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared

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