The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the extensive use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by health care workers, leading to various side effects, including headaches.
A new study, published in BMJ Open, aimed to estimate the prevalence of headaches among health care workers who used PPE during the pandemic.
Methods
A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. Databases searched included Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, covering the period from December 2019 to February 2023. Cross-sectional studies examining headache prevalence among health care workers using PPE were included in the analysis. Two researchers independently screened and extracted data. The Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS) was used to assess study quality. Meta-analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software V.3.3.70, employing a random-effects model due to high study heterogeneity (I²=98.6%).
Results
Out of 3,218 articles, 40 studies with a total sample size of 19,229 health care workers were included. The overall prevalence of headache due to PPE usage was 43.8% in this population (95% confidence interval = 43.1% to 44.6%). Meta-regression showed no significant relationship between headache prevalence and factors such as publication year, study location, sample size, or study quality.
Commonly reported contributing factors to headache included prolonged PPE use, mechanical pressure, hypoxia, and hypercapnia.
Conclusion
Headaches were a significant side effect of PPE use among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a reported prevalence of 43.8%. This condition affected work performance and patient care.
Implications
Addressing PPE-related headaches is crucial for maintaining health care workers' efficiency and patient care quality. Further research is needed to explore specific factors contributing to headaches and to develop guidelines for optimal PPE use.
Going forward, researchers recommend that PPE manufacturers improve equipment design to reduce these side effects, and that health care managers ensure adequate training and breaks for health care workers using PPE regularly to mitigate headache occurrence.
The authors declared having no competing interests.