The Side Effects of Protective Equipment Usage and Nurse Fatigue During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hosseinabadi, Reza; Beiranvand, Shoorangiz; Ghasemiasl, Shima; Anbari, Khatereh

doi:10.22087/ijac.2023.484670.1025

The Side Effects of Protective Equipment Usage and Nurse Fatigue During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Document Type : Research

Authors

Reza Hosseinabadi ¹

Shoorangiz Beiranvand ²

Shima Ghasemiasl ³

Khatereh Anbari ⁴

¹ Social determinants of health research center, Lorestan university of medical sciences, Khorramabad, Iran

² 2. Assistant Professor, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran

³ 3. Nurse, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.

⁴ 4. Professor, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran

10.22087/ijac.2023.484670.1025

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the workload of nurses worldwide. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the prevalence of adverse effects related to using personal protective equipment and its correlation with nurse fatigue. In this cross-sectional study, 313 nurses employed in educational hospitals in Khorramabad, Iran were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected from September 2021 to March 2022 through a fatigue questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire. The results showed that dry mouth (65.8%) and facial wrinkles (51.6%) were the most commonly reported side effects. The comparison of fatigue scores indicated a significant association between physical fatigue and the use of coverall suits (p < 0.05). Moreover, women reported significantly higher physical fatigue scores (p = 0.04). Regarding age, there was a significant difference in mental fatigue (p = 0.01), physical fatigue (p = 0.004), and overall fatigue scores (p = 0.004), with younger nurses showing significantly higher scores. The results of this study showed that fatigue and side effects related to the use of personal protective equipment are common among nurses. Managing shifts and human resources, as well as improving the quality of protective equipment, are essential to reducing fatigue and related side effects in similar future crises.

Keywords

Covid-19

Nurse

Fatigue

PPE

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