Open AccessLimiting factors of face shield use for health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic
Author(s) -
Ana Cristina de Oliveira e Silva,
Wynne Pereira Nogueira,
Elucir Gir,
Sandra Aparecida de Almeida,
Bárbara Iansã de Lima Barroso,
Maria Eliane Moreira Freire
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
work
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1875-9270
pISSN - 1051-9815
DOI - 10.3233/wor-210542
Subject(s) - face shield , personal protective equipment , pandemic , covid-19 , medicine , health care , cinahl , environmental health , nursing , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , psychological intervention , political science , pathology , law
BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-COV2, a highly transmissible and pathogenic viral infection, and was identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Three months later, it became a severe pandemic. OBJECTIVE: To identify scientific evidence on the use of face shields by health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic period. METHOD: An integrative literature review of articles obtained from PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Web of Science databases was undertaken. For the search, controlled, non-controlled descriptors and specific keywords: “face shield,” “fluid resistance procedure,” “respiratory infections,” “healthcare workers,” “COVID-19,” “aerosols,” and “personal protection infection” were used. RESULTS: The sample comprised seven studies. The available evidence has shown that face shields do not have a defined standard for their production—their effectiveness depends on the quality of the visor, structure, and fixation system. They must be used as adjuvants to other personal protective equipment (PPE), and their isolated use is not recommended due to the fragilities of peripheral face sealing, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic period. CONCLUSION: Due to the shortage of this equipment, domestic face shields can be indicated if they meet production requirements, based on scientific evidence for their efficient use.