Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the prolonged use of facemasks by healthcare workers. Facemask non-compliance has been largely blamed on discomfort associated with the mask, and apprehension regarding potential health hazards such as asphyxia from mask usage. We sought to evaluate the impact of different respiratory mask types on the comfort of healthcare workers and their arterial oxygen saturation during periods of active clinical duty. Methods: we conducted a cross-sectional study on healthcare workers donning different types of facemasks in the normal course of duty. Objective non-invasive determination of arterial oxygen saturation of each participant was done using a portable pulse oximeter. Subjective self-assessment of global discomfort was scored by means of a 11-point numerical scale from 0 (no discomfort) to 10 (worst discomfort imaginable). The user's perceived elements of the discomfort were also evaluated. A statistical significance was accepted when P <0.05. Results: seventy-six healthcare workers completed the study, and wore the masks for periods ranging from 68-480 minutes. The discomfort experienced with the use of the N95 mask; 4.3 (2.0) was greater than the surgical mask; 2.7 (1.8); P=0.001. No significant change in arterial oxygen saturation was observed with the use of either of the mask types. The tight strapping of the N95 mask was perceived as a contributor to the discomfort experienced with mask usage; P=0.009. Conclusion: the N95 masks imposed greater discomfort than the surgical masks, but neither of the masks impacted on the arterial oxygen saturation of the healthcare workers.

Background Credible evidence has established a link between the level of patient safety culture in healthcare environments and patient outcomes. Patient safety culture in the operating room has received scant attention despite the burden of adverse events among surgical patients. We aimed to evaluate the safety culture in our operating rooms and compare with existing data from other operating room settings. Methods We investigated the patient safety culture in the operating rooms of our hospital as perceived by the surgeons, nurse anaesthetists and perioperative nurses using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) instrument. IBM Statistical Package for Social Science software, version 25, was used for data entry and analysis. Differences were considered significant when p < 0.05. Results Only 122 completed surveys were returned out of a survey population of 132 frontline staff, yielding a response rate of 92.4%. The overall average composite score was 47%. The average composite scores ranged from 17–79.6% across the 12 dimensions of the HSOPSC, with teamwork within units being the only dimension with demonstrable strength. Non-punitive response to error, communication openness, feedback and communication about error”, frequency of events reported”, handoffs and transition and staffing need improvement. The perceived safety culture varied according to work areas and professional roles with nurse anaesthetists having the highest perception and the surgeons the least. Conclusion Patient safety culture in our operating rooms is adjudged to be weak, with only one of the twelve dimensions of HSOPSC demonstrating strength. This is notwithstanding its comparative strengths relative to other operating room settings.