Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of study participants (n = 315)
| Female gender, n (%) | 159 (50.5) |
| Age, years, mean ± SD | 31.58 ± 4.6 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean ± SD | 24.74 ± 3.8 |
| Occupation, n (%) | |
| Doctors | 99 (31.4) |
| Nurses | 137 (43.5) |
| Paramedical personnel | 79 (25.1) |
| Department, n (%) | |
| Emergency department | 140 (44.4) |
| Pandemic wards and intensive care unit | 175 (55.6) |
| Smokers, n (%) | 84 (26.7) |
| Frequency of PPE use per month, days, mean ± SD | 17.82 ± 1.8 |
| Duration of PPE use per day, hours, mean ± SD | 5.54 ± 1.2 |
| New-onset symptoms, n (%) | 208 (66) |
| Headache | 115 (36.5) |
| Breathing difficulty/palpitation | 79 (25.1) |
| Dermatitis | 64 (20.3) |
| Drug use requirement for new-onset symptom, n (%) | 145 (69.7) |
| Impact of new-onset symptom on overall work performance, n (%) | |
| None | 15 (7.2) |
| Slightly | 35 (16.8) |
| Moderate | 50 (24) |
| Extreme | 108 (51.9) |
PPE = personal protective equipment.