hospital masking policies

[redbird]

One of the local hospital chains, Mass General Brigham, is going to start requiring doctors and other staff to mask in patient rooms. However, they also say that patients don't need to mask (no change there) but if a patient wants to mask, they must wear a facility-provided mask either on its own or over their own masks. Explicitly, you can walk around bare-faced, but you can't walk around visibily wearing an N95 mask, it has to be covered, allegedly so they can be sure you're wearing a good mask. But it's OK to wear no mask at all, that won't worry them.

My eye doctor is affiliated with MGH, so I now get email from them, and this was in the most recent message. Beth Israel Lahey, which my primary doctor and most of my other specialists and the PT person are affiliated with, wasn't requiring masking on my last few visits, but the only mention of my N95 was a mention in the pulmonologist's after-visit notes of "mask and glasses in place."

Comments

[adrian_turtle]

Back in the spring of 2020, when n95 masks were in such short supply, hospitals were telling staff to layer masks to keep the inner mask cleaner so they could re-use it more. Now that n95 masks are so much easier to get, that should not be a consideration, but I know policies are more often based on past conditions than on present conditions. (Like the classic story of the holiday recipe that includes cutting off the end of the roast just like grandma always did. Like her grandma did. Not knowing the custom started because of a big roast and a small pan. Or like the poster in my local library that shows how to put on and remove a cloth mask very carefully without touching the front, so you don't risk infection with covid or other diseases.)

Of course, more recent studies show that layering masks can make the n95 less effective, because squishing it against your face makes it fit some people slightly less well.

[otter]

What I meant, but did not articulate well, is that too many humans, particularly those in power, are so stuck on Rules that they don't even look for Best Practices. I understood, but am shaking my head in despair.