None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
A prospective, three-armed cluster randomized trial of mask use in health care workers (HCWs) to determine the effectiveness/efficacy of two different kinds of face masks (cloth masks and surgical masks) during the influenza season on the transmission of seasonal influenza and other respiratory infectious agents. Other respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus, parainfluenza viruses, coronaviruses, human metapneumovirus (hMPV), rhinoviruses etc are also associated with outbreaks of acute respiratory disease. Health care workers (HCWs) from the emergency departments, respiratory wards, pediatric wards and infectious disease wards of 15 major hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam will be recruited. These wards are selected because they are a setting in which repeated and multiple exposures to viral respiratory infections are present for staff. Wards/departments will be allocated to one of the three study arms. Participants from the two mask arms will be provided with one of two types of masks(depending on the arm to which the ward/department they work in has been randomised) to be worn for four weeks when working on the ward. Participants in the third arm will continue to carry out there standard practice. All participants will be followed up for five weeks (the four weeks of wearing the masks and an extra week of non-mask wearing)
Interventions
Arm One: Cloth or material mask
In this trial, participants will be asked to wear the mask continuously on every shift (around 8 hours) for a four week period. They are to remove the mask when: they exit the department/ward or when they enter the tea room for a break
Arm two: Surgical mask
Surgical masks-are loose-fitting facial coverings that are designed to prevent wound contamination in the patient from the cough or exhaled secretions of the physician, nurse or other healthcare worker.
In
Arm One: Cloth or material mask In this trial, participants will be asked to wear the mask continuously on every shift (around 8 hours) for a four week period. They are to remove the mask when: they exit the department/ward or when they enter the tea room for a break Arm two: Surgical mask Surgical masks-are loose-fitting facial coverings that are designed to prevent wound contamination in the patient from the cough or exhaled secretions of the physician, nurse or other healthcare worker. In this trial, participants will be asked to wear the mask continuously on every shift (around 8 hours) for a four week period. They are to remove the mask when: they exit the department/ward or when they enter the tea room for a break
Sponsors
University of New South Wales
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Any nurse or doctor who works full time at the hospital. Other staff members may be included if they are assessed to have regular contact with patients i.e. triage staff, ancillary staff
Exclusion criteria
1) Males with beards, long moustaches or long facial hair stubble 2) Clinical staff with a current respiratory illness, rhinitis and/or allergies (Staff who report having a respiratory illness at the time of recruitment will have their participation delayed by two weeks once they have become asymptomatic) 3) Part-time worker
Outcome results
None listed