issues
Mask-related skin injury during a respiratory pandemic: A wound CNC perspective
By Sarah Sage, Monika Samolyk and Donna Nair
Healthcare workers (HCW) are using personal protective equipment (PPE) more often and for longer wear times to reduce the risk of contracting or transmitting COVID-19.
24 Oct–Dec 2020 Volume 27, No. 1
The authors have noted images of nurses from around the world with significant mask-related facial skin injuries and the expeditious development of HCW guidelines, to prevent these skin injuries. It is proposed that there needs to be an exploration of PPE mask related skin injuries [PRSI (m)] and the application of these guidelines in the Australian context. The expertise that Clinical Nurse Consultants (CNCs) in wound management have, in iatrogenic skin injury prevention, makes them well positioned to offer insight into this challenge. For the purposes of this opinion piece, skin injury is defined as an alteration of skin integrity due to an external cause or factor.
Until further evidence becomes available, the authors suggest the following principles on protocol development, for PRSI (m) in Australian HCWs: • Application of Australian Occupational Health and Safety legislation and regulatory practices, when designing protocols for mask use; • Where possible managing one hazard should not introduce another hazard or compromise existing risk mitigation, eg. risk of infection is not increased by the application of prophylactic dressings/creams.
