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The impact of facemasks on blood donation process: The professionals' perspective
Author(s) -
Bani Marco,
Raggi Erika,
Russo Selena,
Riccelli Mattia,
Ardenghi Stefano,
Rampoldi Giulia,
Strepparava Maria Grazia
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
nursing and health sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.563
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1442-2018
pISSN - 1441-0745
DOI - 10.1111/nhs.12985
Subject(s) - medicine , blood donor , qualitative research , donation , health professionals , health care , deferral , nursing , organ donation , psychology , transplantation , surgery , social science , business , accounting , sociology , economics , immunology , economic growth
Facemasks represent an essential measure of prevention against the spread of COVID‐19; however, they lessen the ability to convey and understand emotions through facial expressions. In blood donation settings, facemasks may interfere with professionals' tasks. This qualitative study aims to describe healthcare staff's experiences, beliefs, and attitudes toward facemask wearing and strategies used to overcome communication and relational barriers along the blood donation process. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 healthcare professionals (14 physicians and 11 nurses) working in Italian blood donation centers. The framework analysis method was used to organize the data and identify emerging themes. More than 70% of participants reported discomfort and a negative impact on communicating effectively with donors and building empathic relationships. The difficulty to detect early signs of adverse reactions was reported by almost all nurses, and physicians were concerned that facemasks limited the identification of donors and the detection of deferral criteria. Facemasks have changed the blood donation process, reducing the healthcare professionals' ability to build empathic relationships and communicate with donors effectively. New strategies should be developed to overcome these limitations.