Impact of medical protective gown type and temperature conditions on cognitive performance of female healthcare workers during COVID-19

Due to limited heat dissipation, wearing high-protection medical gowns against COVID-19 may lead to cognitive challenges and impaired performance in healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to evaluate the cognitive performance of female HCWs wearing two commonly used types of medical gowns under varying temperature conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study included 20 female HCWs. The experiment was conducted in six sessions under three temperature conditions (24, 28, and 32 °C) with a relative humidity of 40%, using both a Spunbond gown (SG) and a Laminated gown (LG). Participants walked on a treadmill for 30 min at a speed of 3 km/h with a 0% incline within a climate-controlled chamber. Cognitive and psychomotor performance was assessed using the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT), the continuous performance test (CPT), and the mirror test, conducted before and after walking on a treadmill. Additionally, a thermal sensation scale was used to evaluate participants' perceived heat. The number of errors in the mirror test for participants wearing LG was significantly higher than that for those wearing SG at 32 °C. In the PVT, participants wearing LG had 1.39% and 0.12% fewer correct responses than those wearing SG at 24 °C and 28 °C, respectively. In the CPT, the number of correct responses for LG at 28 °C was 0.8% lower than at the comfortable temperature (P < 0.05). Moreover, participants reported significantly higher thermal sensations while wearing LG compared with SG at both comfortable and elevated temperatures. Thermal sensation increased for both SG and LG as the environmental temperature rose. Compared to HCWs wearing SG, HCWs wearing LG exhibited 0.12-1.39% more errors, which may pose a potential safety risk. To mitigate this risk, it is recommended to maintain comfortable temperature conditions in hospitals, particularly for HCWs wearing high-protection gowns against COVID-19.