Importance of Face Mask Wearing in
Emergency Medicine
The importance of face masking has always been underestimated in the work environment,
especially in the hospitality industry where moisture and humidity are consistently and
intentionally present malaysia e pharmacy. For those of us that have spent many years in the hospitality industry and
worked in various hotels and serviced bedrooms, the importance of face masking and hygiene is
more than just theoretical. It is present and it is wearing away at our backs, necks and hands.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What most people don’t realise is that the exposure and
contact to these allergens and contaminants far exceed the level of those that are actually
inhaled or ingested.
And for all the conspiracy theorists out there, this was simply a coincidental coincidence and not
orchestrated by any outside force. Well, maybe conspiracy theorists. However, this has come at
a very bad time, particularly with increasing concerns about health and safety within the
hospitality industry. Hospitals have recently increased their awareness of the risks of direct
contact with infectious droplets and particulates. The problem of dressing with contaminated
clothing (especially in the case of healthcare staff) cannot be solved by wearing plastic surgery
face masks in isolation. They can only be solved by wearing disposable, or surgical masks that
contain high levels of medical and hygiene approved ingredients that dramatically reduce
exposure to infectious droplets and particles.
This just goes to show that the solution to this problem is simple but has yet to be explored. As a
hospital administrator, I regularly visit the casualty department to ensure that all of the patients
are being treated correctly and safely. This is not the responsibility of the doctor or nurse, nor
should it ever become the responsibility of the staff. As part of their duty of care, emergency
department personnel and nurses need to wear face masks as part of their standard gear and
comply with the regulations that pertain to the wearing of these items. This is just good common
sense, and I know many people who regularly wear these products without incident.
The importance of face mask requirements has recently become apparent in the field of public
health and safety. A recent study co-ordinated by a major UK hospital and the Association of
General Practitioners Accident and Emergency Medicine revealed the worrying level of
negligence occurring in the aftermath of disasters such as the London marathon bombings. The
report identified that in many cases, those being treated for severe injuries had seriously
underestimated the extent of their injuries. In one case, a patient was discharged from a hospital
with a large amount of blood loss after only a single day of treatment. The exact amount of blood
lost is unknown but it is thought to be a substantial amount given the extremely low standards of
care applied by the hospital and the lack of face mask requirements. Such a scenario highlights
the need for hospitals and other such facilities to review their policies and develop systems in
place that ensure the protection of all patients, especially during times of such emergency.
A similar study published in the Journal of Public Health showed that the introduction of a similar
tracking system at a leading British hospital was responsible for a significant decrease in
admissions due to misinterpretation or misidentification of injuries ipharmahome. One of the reasons cited for
the decline in admissions was the implementation of a seller decimals system, whereby a patient
would present with a series of visual landmarks to help triage nurses and doctors as to the
severity of the wounds they may have sustained. This system was found to have significantly
reduced the number of wrong results (accidental deaths) when nurses were compared with
those patients who were treated using traditional methods and who were hospitalised under the
new system.
As part of the pandemic action network effort to address the critical issues surrounding the use
of unqualified personnel in emergency medicine, I recently conducted a survey in my own
organisation to gauge the awareness of staff working in the emergency department about the
importance of wearing face masks. We interviewed 20 doctors in the emergency ward in my
private practice and one of the topics that came up was the importance of face mask wearing by
staff. The responses we received were quite overwhelming. These results are important in that
they highlight the need for further awareness and research into the issues surrounding the
wearing of face masks by emergency medical staff.
Without any doubt, we live in an increasingly multimedia world . The presence of the Internet in our daily lives to the way in which we connect with reality and also the way in which we perceive it. Without going any further, there is practically no activity that is not mediated to a lesser or greater extent by a screen or by the presence of the web. In that sense, since the irruption of social networks a decade ago, everything has changed at a frenetic pace.