Wearing a face mask is still a good idea in clinics, study says

CNN
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Since the Covid-19 pandemic entered its third year, signs urging people to wear masks have all but disappeared from places like grocery stores and schools. However, they remain in many clinics and The study was announced on Monday They say it might still be a good idea.

Even after the U.S. public health emergency declaration has expired and many Americans have moved away from pandemic precautions, masks continue to provide some protection and prevent new infections in community settings such as close doctor-patient interactions. It reduces the risk of contracting the coronavirus. Thanks to the research that reviewed the latest science on the protective quality of masks.

The study, published in the journal Anals of Intermedicine, also found no significant difference in protection. Between surgical masks and N95 masks in the medical field. N95 may be slightly more beneficial, but it was not entirely clear from the studies.

Researchers studied three randomized trials and We considered 21 observational studies.

Some of the studies they used had limitations. For example, the researchers wrote that there was “insufficient” evidence for surgical masks versus cloth masks, or increases and decreases in mask usage.

In an editorial accompanying the new study, Drs. Tara Palmour of the George Washington University School of Medicine and David Henderson of the National Institutes of Health say mask use has become a politicized topic during the pandemic. do. They argue that masks for patients and health care workers should be considered an adequate safety measure because conclusive evidence on their protective efficacy is not available.

In laboratory studies, surgical Masks and respirators help limit the spread of aerosols and droplets from people infected with influenza, coronavirus, and other respiratory viruses. It’s not 100% effective, but it greatly reduces the amount of virus shedding when someone talks or coughs.

It is possible for the virus to be passed from patient to staff, or staff to patient, even when both are wearing masks, but it is rare.

Palmer and Henderson said one of the big reasons people think people should wear masks in health care settings is that for a variety of reasons, people working in these places are “notorious for coming to work sick.” He says it’s for the sake of

previous research It was found that between one-half and two-thirds of healthcare workers worked with some form of respiratory illness. Asymptomatic people can also spread the virus. Alternatively, it may be difficult to tell if someone is sick if they have been vaccinated and have mild symptoms, so simply requiring sick people to wear masks may not stop the spread. I have. .

“Unnecessarily exposing patients to mask-preventable infections appears to be in direct violation of patient safety principles,” the commentary said. “For all these reasons, we recommend that people keep their masks on while interacting with patients.”

Dr. Shira Mada, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Universityagrees that it is important that healthcare systems do whatever they can to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as requiring employees to wear masks when interacting with patients. “Sometimes it’s hard to know who is the most vulnerable, especially among the most vulnerable patients, who are vulnerable and have weakened immune systems,” said Maddad, who was not involved in the new study. .

He said you don’t necessarily have to wear them in elevators and hallways, but it’s good to take safety precautions when encountering a clinical setting.

Now that people are getting used to masks, more healthcare workers should consider wearing them as flu and respiratory syncytial virus season comes this fall, she said.

“We all recognize the importance and usefulness of masks,” Maddad said. “A culture of safety demonstrates respect for patients.”

He added that if patients prefer that health care workers don’t wear masks, for example if it makes it difficult for them to hear or understand what they’re saying, that should be fine too. But she says masks should be the default in clinical interactions.

“Even though the COVID-19 public health emergency has been declared over, more than 1,000 Americans are still dying from the virus every day, which remains unacceptable. A high value means it is still a threat,” Maddad said. “We would like to downplay it, it is no longer an emergency, but it is certainly a threat.”