NPIAP Recommendations for Mask Pressure Injuries
With the global pandemic has come many discussions on PPE: supply, effectiveness, disinfectant methods and injuries. The NPIAP released a position statement last month on how to ease N95 injuries.
Mobility Management Magazine, one of Occupational Health & Safety Magazine’s sister publication, recently published a piece on the NPIAP’s recommendations for N95 injuries.
It’s no secret that healthcare workers are suffering from PPE shortages and PPE injuries during this health crisis—not to mention their increased risk of exposure to COVID-19. Many workers have suffered abrasions and open wounds from their masks where their skin and tissue have been rubbed raw.
The National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) released a statement on mask injuries and how they can be prevented. In collaboration with the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and the Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance, the NPIAP developed an “evidence-based” guideline to ensure PPE remains effective but does not cause severe injury.
Mobility Management’s article discusses the NPIAP’s goal with the guidance, as well as information on why masks cause pressure injuries and how to take breaks from mask wearing. It even provides a link to the entire position paper as well as an infographic on protecting against pressure injuries from N95 masks.
With healthcare workers already working hard to fight this virus on the frontlines, many can agree that pressure injuries from their own protective equipment cannot go unaddressed.