Open AccessImpact of Powered Air‐Purifying Respirator Devices on Word Recognition in Health Care Providers
Author(s) -
Moldoff Emily J.,
Eubank Miranda K.,
Feng Anne Y.,
Corrales C. Eduardo,
Shin Jennifer J.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
otolaryngology–head and neck surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.232
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1097-6817
pISSN - 0194-5998
DOI - 10.1177/01945998211058350
Subject(s) - respirator , audiology , baseline (sea) , presentation (obstetrics) , medicine , perception , covid-19 , psychology , speech recognition , computer science , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , oceanography , materials science , neuroscience , composite material , radiology , geology
The coronavirus 2019 pandemic has increased the use of powered air‐purifying respirator (PAPR) devices, which produce appreciable noise levels during filtration. Our objective was to determine if active PAPR usage significantly impairs auditory communication in health care providers. We additionally sought to assess what volume of speech presentation was required for adequate communication with providers wearing a PAPR. In subjects with normal hearing at baseline, audiometric data demonstrated a 93% (95% CI, 86%‐99%) decrease in word recognition scores during active PAPR usage. Presentation at 85 to 90 dB was needed to obtain word recognition scores similar to baseline in subjects with normal hearing without a PAPR. Pure tone averages also significantly decreased with PAPR usage, by 54 dB (95% CI, 46‐62). Active PAPR usage has a substantial impact on auditory perception when utilized by health care providers. The potential longer‐term effect of these devices on providers with regular active usage is of interest for future study.