Personal Protective Equipment Associated Symptoms amongst Frontline Health Care Workers in COVID-19 Pandemic � A Cross Sectional Study

Context : During COVID-19 Pandemic, frontline Health Care Worker (HCW) in hospitals were mandated to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), while caring for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients, which involved the donning of close-fitting N95 Face Masks, Protective Eyewear, Gowns, Surgical Gloves and the use of Powered AirPurifying Respirators (PAPR). Aims : This study is to know the challenges faced during use of PPE among frontline HCW. Methods and Material : This is a cross-sectional study among HCW at our Tertiary Institution who were working in high-risk hospital areas during COVID-19. All respondents completed a self-administered questionnaire Statistical analysis used : Data were entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Baseline characteristics were described using frequency and percentages. Association between predictors of PPE associated symptoms were assessed using Chi-square test with p-value of <0.05 considered as significant. Results : Total of 190 Health Care Workers participated in the study. Doctors- contributed most [143/189 (75.2%)]. Majority of the respondents reported usage of Masks, Eyewear, Shield and Gown [126/189 (66.7%)], in which most of them donned N-95 mask [152/189(80.5%)], and Goggles [110/189 (58.2%)] average for 6.32 (2.40) hours a day and 18.15(8.65) days in a month. 83 respondents reported a new onset headache associated with usage of PPE. Majority of the respondents localized Headaches as frontal (69.9%) which was statistically significant. Other symptoms were Tiredness (73.5%), Excess Sweating (45.4%) and Giddiness (20.6%). Conclusions : Prevalence and characteristics of PPE- associated symptoms in HCW working in high-risk areas in Tertiary Care Centers necessitates better measures and strategies for designing PPE and reducing the exposure time in HCW and also the impact on their work performance