Abstract
Aims
To examine the association between the type of mask worn by health care professionals
and assessment of pain intensity in patients after orthopedic surgery using the visual
analog scale (VAS).
Design
A nonrandomized controlled trial conducted among 176 patients hospitalized in an orthopedic
department of a hospital located in northern-central Israel from January to March
2021.
Methods
In the intervention group (n = 83), pain assessment using the VAS was performed by
a health care professional wearing a transparent face mask, while in the control group
(n = 93), pain assessment was performed by a health care professional wearing a standard
nontransparent face mask. The initial assessment was performed by a nurse, and 15
minutes later, an additional assessment was performed by a physician.
Results
Health care professionals wearing a standard non-transparent mask obtained higher
VAS scores than health care professionals wearing a transparent mask. In addition,
nurses obtained lower VAS scores than physicians. The discrepancy in VAS scores between
nurses and physicians was found in 50% of cases. This discrepancy was more prevalent
among female patients, patients after knee replacement or spinal surgery, and when
health care professionals were wearing a standard nontransparent mask.
Conclusions
This study supports the use of transparent face masks by health care professionals
in an orthopedic department, particularly by nurses. In addition, this study supports
the assumption of problems involving the reliability of VAS.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 24, 2021
Accepted:
September 25,
2021
Received in revised form:
August 30,
2021
Received:
June 22,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
