Personal Protective Equipment

BackgroundPostoperative delirium is a negative surgical outcome that can affect patients of any age, from children to elderly.AimThis study evaluated the impact of eye masks and music on sleep quality and delirium among patients in surgical intensive care units.Study designThis study was designed as a randomized controlled trial. The study sample consisted of 45 patients (21 intervention and 24 control) who were hospitalized in the General Surgery Intensive Care Unit, underwent abdominal surgery and met the inclusion criteria. Patients were assigned to the experimental and control groups by simple randomization method. Patient Identification Form, Richard-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ), Nursing Delirium Screening Scale (Nu-DESC) and Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) were utilized. In the intervention group, patients were left with the eye masks applied after 22:00. Concurrently with the application of the eye masks, calming classical music was played for 1 h. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Student's t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), two-way repeated measures ANOVA and linear regression analysis were used. The CONSORT checklist was used in reporting the study.ResultsOn the third day of the study, the mean RCSQ score in the intervention group was statistically higher (72.95 ± 7.47, 49.66 ± 10.80; p ConclusionThe research concluded that listening to calming music for 1 h daily and wearing an eye mask before sleeping increased sleep quality and decreased the incidence of delirium.Relevance to clinical practiceIntensive care nurses can contribute to improving patients' sleep quality and preventing delirium by applying eye masks and playing music for the patients.

Hoarseness and dysphonia caused by vocal cord conditions or laryngeal surgeries significantly hinder communication and quality of life. This study presents a plug-and-play humidity-sensing respiratory microphone (HSRM) with generalized features for individual users. Leveraging gold nanoparticle-based humidity sensors integrated into commercially available wearable face masks, the system enables patients to produce verbal communication without relying on vocal cord activity. By integrating nanoparticle-enhanced humidity sensors with advanced convolutional neural networks, the HSRM system accurately decodes respiratory patterns into intelligible speech, achieving a recognition accuracy of 85.61%. Leveraging nanoparticle-polymer interfaces that effectively convert atmospheric humidity fluctuations into precise electrical signals, the system pioneers a contactless and non-invasive paradigm in assistive speech technology. This innovation addresses limitations of existing devices, such as reliance on residual vocal fold vibrations or skin-contact sensors, offering a practical generalized solution for individuals with aphonia. With its potential to facilitate naturalistic communication and transform healthcare applications, the HSRM system sets a new benchmark in wearable assistive technologies for voice rehabilitation and human-machine interaction.

(1) Background: With the increasing incidence of cancer, the need for handling cytotoxic drugs has also grown. However, manipulating these drugs exposes healthcare professionals to significant risks, including occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals. Therefore, it is important to adopt protective measures, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and correct ergonomic practices, to ensure safe drug preparation and minimize health risks for the operators. However, while chemical exposure and PPE have been extensively addressed in the literature, the combined impact of ergonomic practices and protective measures remains insufficiently emphasized, representing a critical gap this review aims to address. Accordingly, the objective of this literature review was to analyze the ergonomic and individual protection practices during the handling of cytostatic drugs and all the implications that bad ergonomic practices and/or poor individual protection have on the operator's health; (2) Methods: In order to perform this integrative review, a structured literature search was conducted using online databases (Web of Science®, Google Scholar®, and PubMed®) from January 2005 to June 2025. (3) Results: A total of 19 articles were analyzed, with 17 focusing on PPE and 17 on ergonomics. The findings emphasize that PPE, such as gloves, masks, gowns, sleeves and safety glasses, plays a critical role in the safe handling of cytotoxic drugs, particularly when combined with other safety measures. Additionally, maintaining correct ergonomic posture is important in preventing musculoskeletal disorders; (4) Conclusions: This review emphasizes the significance of integrating appropriate PPE use with sound ergonomic procedures. Although PPE is still the secondary line of defense against occupational exposure, ergonomic issues must also be addressed to avoid chronic musculoskeletal problems. Continuous training, rigorous attention to safety procedures, and ergonomic enhancements should be prioritized by healthcare facilities as a key element of occupational safety programs to reduce the short-term and long-term health hazards for personnel handling dangerous drugs.

Mask-integrated respiratory sensors are promising for noninvasive monitoring of respiratory health outside of clinical settings, for example, to support at-home patient monitoring and telemedicine. Studies have shown the feasibility of attaching flexible and off-the-shelf sensors to face masks; however, the potential benefits of incorporating sensor materials directly onto the breathable microfibrous mesh of face masks have hardly been explored. In this work, we integrate respiratory sensors on flat polyethylene terephthalate substrates and microfibrous polypropylene face masks using an ionic liquid gel (ILG) to detect changes in local humidity during breathing. Under a DC voltage, the ILG sensors exhibit a superlinear dependence of current on humidity, resulting in enhanced sensitivity at the high humidity levels found in exhaled breath. By varying the composition of the ILG, we find an inverse relationship between the sensing signal strength and sensing kinetics, offering insights into the sensing mechanisms. Freestanding ILG films are found to be resilient under mechanical strain with humidity sensing still possible at 120% strain. Devices that are scalably integrated onto face masks produce sensors that are four times less sensitive to extreme bending at an angle of 150°. Preliminary artificial intelligence (AI) analysis of breathing patterns identifies coughs that are interspersed with regular breathing with 91% accuracy, showing the potential of AI-supported wearable masks for autonomous symptom tracking.