Public health organizations like the CDC advocate for mask-wearing in public to minimize the spread of viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. While this practice may seem new to many, medical professionals, including doctors, have routinely worn medical-grade masks like N95 or surgical masks for protection in clinical settings for many years. These masks offer superior protection compared to cloth masks and are integral to a doctor’s daily routine during surgeries and patient interactions.
To gain deeper insights, we consulted with Yale Medicine physicians to understand the critical medical reasons behind mask usage. Dr. Manisha Juthani, an expert in infectious diseases, highlights the protective nature of masks on multiple fronts. “Wearing a mask is crucial when I am caring for patients with respiratory viruses. It protects me from potential infection and prevents me from inadvertently spreading illness to others,” she explains. For Dr. Juthani, medical-grade masks are indispensable, enabling her to safely treat patients with various infectious diseases without risking her health or contributing to further spread.
Dr. David Mulligan, the chief of transplant surgery and immunology, emphasizes the significance of masks beyond the operating room. “During hospital rounds, particularly when visiting immunocompromised patients, masks are essential. They serve to protect these vulnerable patients from potential infections and also prevent the transmission of pathogens between patients and rooms,” Dr. Mulligan states. This underscores that masks are not just for personal protection but are a fundamental component of patient safety and infection control in healthcare environments.
[Bài viết gốc]: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health officials recommend that people wear masks in public settings as a way to slow transmission of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. While mask-wearing may be new to most of us, doctors have been wearing medical-grade N95 or surgical masks (which offer more protection than do cloth masks) during surgeries or patient interactions as part of their daily routines, for many decades.
We recently spoke to several Yale Medicine doctors about the medical reasons why they wear masks. They are protective on several levels, explains Manisha Juthani, MD, an infectious disease specialist. “It is really important for me to wear a mask when I’m taking care of patients who have a respiratory virus that I could be at risk of getting and then potentially giving to somebody else.” In fact, the only way she can treat patients with different infectious diseases is by wearing a medical-grade mask so she does not spread any disease or get sick herself.
David Mulligan, MD, chief of transplant surgery and immunology, knows the importance of masks even beyond the operating room. “When we make rounds, for example, on significantly immuno-compromised patients, we will have a mask on to try to help protect those patients from the spread of disease and to try to protect other patients from bringing potential pathogens like bacteria and viruses from one room to the next,” he says.
Hear their explanations on why mask-wearing is important for doctors in this video.
