By Michael Klompas, M.D., M.P.H., Charles A. Morris, M.D., M.P.H., Julia Sinclair, M.B.A., Madelyn Pearson, D.N.P., R.N., and Erica S. Shenoy, M.D., Ph.D.
As
the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to explode, hospital systems are
scrambling to intensify their measures for protecting patients and
health care workers from the virus. An increasing number of frontline
providers are wondering whether this effort should include universal use
of masks by all health care workers. Universal masking is already
standard practice in Hong Kong, Singapore, and other parts of Asia and
has recently been adopted by a handful of U.S. hospitals.
We
know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little,
if any, protection from infection. Public health authorities define a
significant exposure to Covid-19 as face-to-face contact within 6 feet
with a patient with symptomatic Covid-19 that is sustained for at least a
few minutes (and some say more than 10 minutes or even 30 minutes). The
chance of catching Covid-19 from a passing interaction in a public
space is therefore minimal. In many cases, the desire for widespread
masking is a reflexive reaction to anxiety over the pandemic..........
To Read More...
No comments:
Post a Comment