The prevalence of medical adhesive-related skin injury caused by protective dressings among medical staff members during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic in China

AIM: To explore the prevalence and risk factors for medical adhesive-related skin injury (MARSI) caused by protective dressings among medical staff members during the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire. The questionnaire was released through the Questionnaire Star website and was completed online. The prevalence of MARSI was calculated and risk factors were analyzed using a multiple regression model. RESULTS: A total of 414 front-line medical staff members treating COVID-19 patients were enrolled from 46 hospitals across four provinces and two municipalities. Overall, 83.1% used protective medical adhesive dressings applied to the head and face to prevent skin damage from personal protective equipment. The prevalence of MARSI caused by adhesive dressings was 41.9%. By multiple regression analysis, the type of dressing, duration of dressing usage, and pain score were risk factors for MARSI development. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence indicates MARSI is common among front-line medical staff members, especially those using hydrocolloid dressings and longer durations of dressing usage. Pain upon dressing removal can be severe and increased the risk of MARSI. We call for paying more attention to MARSI and recommend multisite studies with larger sample sizes to enhance the generalizability of these findings.