Short report on the effects of SARS-CoV-2 face protective equipment on verbal communication

OBJECTIVE: To predict the impact of face personal protective equipment on verbal communication during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. DESIGN: We assessed the effect of common types and combinations of face personal protective equipment on speech intelligibility in quiet and in a simulated noisy environment...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Muzzi, Enrico, Chermaz, Carol, Castro, Veronica, Zaninoni, Mattia, Saksida, Amanda, Orzan, Eva
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2021
Materias:
Short Communication
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7778571/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33389012
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-06535-1
Descripción
Sumario:OBJECTIVE: To predict the impact of face personal protective equipment on verbal communication during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. DESIGN: We assessed the effect of common types and combinations of face personal protective equipment on speech intelligibility in quiet and in a simulated noisy environment. RESULTS: Wearing face personal protective equipment impairs transmission of middle-to-high voice frequencies and affects speech intelligibility. Surgical masks are responsible for up to 23.3% loss of speech intelligibility in noisy environments. The effects are larger in the condition of advanced face personal protective equipment, accounting for up to 69.0% reduction of speech intelligibility. CONCLUSION: The use of face personal protective equipment causes significant verbal communication issues. Healthcare workers, school-aged children, and people affected by voice and hearing disorders may represent specific at-risk groups for impaired speech intelligibility.

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