Facemasks represent an essential measure of prevention against the spread of COVID-19; however, they lessen the ability to convey and understand emotions through facial expressions. In blood donation settings, facemasks may interfere with professionals' tasks. This qualitative study aims to describe healthcare staff's experiences, beliefs, and attitudes toward facemask wearing and strategies used to overcome communication and relational barriers along the blood donation process. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 healthcare professionals (14 physicians and 11 nurses) working in Italian blood donation centers. The framework analysis method was used to organize the data and identify emerging themes. More than 70% of participants reported discomfort and a negative impact on communicating effectively with donors and building empathic relationships. The difficulty to detect early signs of adverse reactions was reported by almost all nurses, and physicians were concerned that facemasks limited the identification of donors and the detection of deferral criteria. Facemasks have changed the blood donation process, reducing the healthcare professionals' ability to build empathic relationships and communicate with donors effectively. New strategies should be developed to overcome these limitations.

Bani, M., Raggi, E., Russo, S., Riccelli, M., Ardenghi, S., Rampoldi, G., et al. (2022). The impact of facemasks on blood donation process: The professionals' perspective. NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES, 24(4 (December 2022)), 845-852 [10.1111/nhs.12985].

The impact of facemasks on blood donation process: The professionals' perspective

Bani M.
;
Raggi E.;Russo S.;Ardenghi S.;Rampoldi G.;Strepparava M. G.
2022

Abstract

Facemasks represent an essential measure of prevention against the spread of COVID-19; however, they lessen the ability to convey and understand emotions through facial expressions. In blood donation settings, facemasks may interfere with professionals' tasks. This qualitative study aims to describe healthcare staff's experiences, beliefs, and attitudes toward facemask wearing and strategies used to overcome communication and relational barriers along the blood donation process. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 healthcare professionals (14 physicians and 11 nurses) working in Italian blood donation centers. The framework analysis method was used to organize the data and identify emerging themes. More than 70% of participants reported discomfort and a negative impact on communicating effectively with donors and building empathic relationships. The difficulty to detect early signs of adverse reactions was reported by almost all nurses, and physicians were concerned that facemasks limited the identification of donors and the detection of deferral criteria. Facemasks have changed the blood donation process, reducing the healthcare professionals' ability to build empathic relationships and communicate with donors effectively. New strategies should be developed to overcome these limitations.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
blood donors; communication; empathy; facemasks; N95 respirators; nurses; physicians; qualitative research;
English
13-set-2022
2022
24
4 (December 2022)
845
852
open
Bani, M., Raggi, E., Russo, S., Riccelli, M., Ardenghi, S., Rampoldi, G., et al. (2022). The impact of facemasks on blood donation process: The professionals' perspective. NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES, 24(4 (December 2022)), 845-852 [10.1111/nhs.12985].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/394312
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