Current best evidence for clinical care (more info)
OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the effectiveness of non-woven face masks for the prevention of respiratory infections (MERS CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2) in the population.
METHODS: search in Medline, Embase, Cinahl, The Cochrane Library, Trip databases. Google Scholar, Rayyan and medRxiv were also consulted for complementary results. No filters related to date, language or publication status were applied. Titles and abstracts were screened, and later, full texts were evaluated.
RESULTS: three studies were included: a randomized cluster clinical trial and two systematic reviews. The clinical trial indicates a potential benefit of medical masks to control the source of clinical respiratory disease infection. In one of the systematic reviews, it was not possible to establish a conclusive relationship between the use of the mask and protection against respiratory infection. Finally, another systematic review indicated that masks are effective in preventing the spread of respiratory viruses.
CONCLUSION: Evidence points to the potential benefit of standard non-woven face masks. For the current pandemic scenario of COVID-19, education on the appropriate use of masks associated with individual protection measures is recommended.
| Discipline / Specialty Area | Score |
|---|---|
| Family Medicine (FM)/General Practice (GP) | |
| General Internal Medicine-Primary Care(US) | |
| Infectious Disease | |
| Public Health | |
| Pediatrics (General) | |
This is an interesting article during the current pandemic helping me to keep the general population updated with good current information.
These are good analysis hampered by lack of well done studies. They are highly relevant in the current pandemic. This reinforces our beliefs about the usage of proper masks.
It is unclear while 2 SRs were included, why only one cluster RCT was presented in this rapid review. Is the evidence on this topic based only on a single cluster RCT?
This systematic review is topical and ultimately important, but there are insufficient data to make this a worthwhile read. The key message remains that hand washing and staying away from potential infection sources is most effective.