Speech intelligibility and hearing acuity assessments of N95/P2 respirator with under-mask elastic band beard cover
This study demonstrates that when bearded HCWs wore the N95/P2 respirator/elastic band combination, their speech intelligibility and hearing acuity greatly exceeded the NIOSH standard of 70% in the Modified Rhyme Test. This finding is crucial for ensuring effective communication among bearded HCWs, thereby supporting both respiratory protection and operational efficiency in healthcare settings.
Authors
- Benjamin Kave (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9499-1831)
- D. L. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6987-5804)
- Irene Ng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6632-5604)
- Camille Paynter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1845-126X)
- Charles Bodas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6533-7646)
- Megan Roberts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8425-6227)
- Shan Hung
Institutions
- The Royal Melbourne Hospital (AU)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Melbourne Health (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
- Published
- 2025-10-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2025.10297
- Primary Topic
- Noise Effects and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00