European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

To study the cutaneous adverse effects of the personal protective tools on the general population.
INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 global pandemic has mandated the use of personal protective equipment to protect the healthcare workers and the general public from contracting the virus. However, these tools and equipment can have certain dermatological or cutaneous effects on the skin. We aim to study these effects through this study.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross sectional  study was carried on the family members of healthcare workers working at Rajarshi Dashrath Autonomous State Medical College , Ayodhya , Uttar pradesh.
A semi open ended pretested questionnaire was developed using google forms and was distributed by social media applications & sites.
RESULTS: Out of the 394 responses received 55.1% were male and 44.9% females; the maximum cutaneous adverse effects were reported with the use of masks (77%) followed by sanitizers(56.7%) and soaps(46.7%). Dryness of skin (75.37%)was the most common adverse effect followed by contact dermatitis(50.2%).
CONCLUSION: In the present study, we reported the cutaneous findings due to the usage of personal protective equipment among the the general population which can be used as scoping base to devise equipment with these considerations to make it more user friendly and acceptable to the general population