Out of curiosity, if you are a healthcare worker would you want people to wear homemade masks?

[mamakoukla]

Having read through some threads here, and about differing opinions here, globally and within the scientific community - if you are a healthcare worker or work within the healthcare industry, do you support the use of homemade face coverings to reduce transmission rates of COVID-19?

Should add - yanbu = yes recommend use of face coverings; yabu = no don’t think it’s a good idea

My wife is a nurse on a Covid ward. We discussed this yesterday. She said no. It offers no protection to the wearer. There is some evidence that it may offer some protection to others if the wearer was infected, however any benefit would be wiped out by people being lulled into a false sense of security by wearing a mask and therefore being less stringent with hygiene and social distancing measured.

I'm a nurse, and yes I support homemade masks. Not to protect the wearer from getting infected, but to prevent the wearer from infecting others or contaminating surfaces.

...but in order to be effective it would require people to put them on properly, keep them on, and take them off properly, while keeping up good hand hygiene. Seen a lot of the general public wearing surgical masks on their chin or forehead recently

You should specify which homemade masks though. There is a very big difference between cut up Primark top made into 1 layer mask and double layer 100% (so it can be boiled after use) cotton with pocket for extra layer.

@Coldilox, so if hygiene and social distancing were maintained- would she be in favour of masks?
to all people out in the world having to leave the safe haven of home to do their jobs

I'm a nurse. I say no. People do not put them on/take them off correctly and it gives a false sense of security. They could lead to more contamination not less.

Until there is strong evidence of a positive effect, they are best left for those who have been trained to 'don and doff' correctly and who do it so often, are automated to it.

Link to interesting article about this very topic
slate.com/technology/2020/04/comprehensive-guide-masks.html?fbclid=IwAR2lFk_r_Hm0kWKYxQ6qIO0SKX_V6sMwDPr4yndgjW4rJWCnefaJ0dpvM_Y

Good points being raised here. For the purpose of the poll, let’s assume masks are being worn, removed and sanitized appropriately. Hmmm.... I agree that there will be a lot of variety in what home made looks like.

this article explains the science in a simple way. It quotes enough 'experts' to convince me. I don't go out (24/7 carer for chronically sick shielded adult child) but my DH walks the dugs daily and makes one trip of 35-40 minutes a week to local shop to pick up bread/veg/ prescriptions. He wears a mask. We happened to have Medical grade face masks left from when DD had chemotherapy so we are using these up. I've ordered cloth washable ones from Baukjen for when these run out and To send to DD1 who lives elsewhere. Some countries have made them compulsory.

I'm fine with it as long as people realise it's only cosmetic and doing no good whatsoever.If you touch,readjust it,take it off by anything other than the strings and my personal RL favourite stuff it in your pocket with your gloves, you will increase any risk to others.

No because she doesn’t think it would be. And as a PP has pointed out, people don’t wear them/put them on/take them off correctly.

You can’t assume that they are being worn, sanitised etc correctly, because a large proportion of the general population simply wouldn’t do it correctly

I'm amazing there is any sort if debate around this. There is only one randomised study on the efficacy of fabric masks in health and social care settings, it indicates that at best fabric masks are 3% effective. The authors have released a further statement on the use of fabric masks in the corona crisis which comments on concerns that fabric masks may actually be worse than nothing due to the way fabric retains moisture droplets (though it doesn't reach a conclusion about this).

The original study is here
bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577

The comment with relation to the current crisis is here
bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/4/e006577.responses#covid-19-shortages-of-masks-and-the-use-of-cloth-masks-as-a-last-resort

I'm amazed (not that amazing today, clearly).

stompy people are saying “something is better than nothing” - that would seem to be very wrong based on that info

Yes. While there isn't conclusive evidence, there is a possibility that fabric masks are worse than wearing nothing.

Needless to say I am a nurse who won't be wearing one.

I saw two runners out the other day, wearing masks. I then saw them about ten minutes later, they had taken them off, touched a gate to access a public bench, sat down had a chat, used their hand they had touched the gate with to put them back on, back through gate, continued running. 5 minutes later, touched to take them off, have a chat, lean over a bridge to look at a stream.....whats the point!

(I was walking my dog)

Are people talking about healthcare workers wearing them? I thought the discussion was about public wearing them.

The BMJ article is about healthcare workers. Other studies show that cloth masks are effective for the public. You are comparing different things. If wearing a mask stops people touching their face it's good as far as I understand . I'm not a healthcare worker so I haven't voted

@Yugi - I am interested in the opinion of healthcare workers or individuals working within that industry about the public wearing home made masks. I’ve read a bit, followed news, and seen some discussion and was curious about the perspective of people with knowledge and experience in this realm

Soover could you share the study 're use of fabric masks in the general public? I'm not aware of one so it would be helpful to me.

I'm aware a number of bodies have expressed an opinion that masks should be worn, but not of any research to back up the position.

I thought the view was something like:

• healthcare workers need proper masks to protect themselves
• the public wearing homemade masks when out eg shopping might help protect others if the wearer is already infected and then coughs.

My neighbour has carers visiting....I’ve seen them lifting their masks off and sitting them on top of their heads, and on two occasions, sitting in their car having a cigarette with their masks under their chin.....

www.fast.ai/2020/04/13/masks-summary/
This analysis has convinced me. Even reducing the spread is worth aiming for. I'm not a healthcare worker. I'm a cleaner that also happens to be studying public health.