side effects of n95 and surgery respirator masks: a narrative review from a nursing perspective

One of the major problems of public health is the transmission of respiratory infections in clinical care settings. healthcare workers (hcws) are exposed to a wide range of respiratory threats, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (sars), influenza a, and covid-19. meanwhile, personal protective equipment (ppe) especially n95 and surgical masks play a key role in preventing transmission and infection of respiratory infections in clinical settings. despite the advantages and uses of surgical and n95 masks, these also have side effects. this literature review was conducted to examine the various side effects of surgical and n95 masks in hcws. according to the results of this study, the side effects of surgical and n95 masks include skin, respiratory, cardiac, and neurological. in general, although the use of respiratory protection equipment is essential in hcw, the use of surgical and n95 masks adversely affects communication, physiological, and psychological abilities in hcw. in particular, it is severe in vulnerable people, such as pregnant women, and those with respiratory problems, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. therefore, there is a lack of training guidelines to improve the safety of hcws.