Towards Accessibility in Healthcare for Individuals With and Without Hearing Loss: Evaluation of Usability, Fit, and Communicative Effectiveness of a Transparent N95 Mask Prototype.
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| Title: | Towards Accessibility in Healthcare for Individuals With and Without Hearing Loss: Evaluation of Usability, Fit, and Communicative Effectiveness of a Transparent N95 Mask Prototype. |
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| Authors: | Atcherson, Samuel R.1, Schultes, Brooklyn1, Hahne, Jeanne2, DeBaun, Barbara3, Showell, Chris4 |
| Source: | Journal of the American Deafness & Rehabilitation Association (JADARA). 2025, Vol. 56 Issue 3, p21-56. 36p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Hearing disorders, N95 respirators, Web accessibility, User-centered system design, Medical care, Face-to-face communication, Treatment effectiveness |
| Company/Entity: | United States. Occupational Safety & Health Administration |
| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the necessity of effective face masks in both public and healthcare settings for mitigating the spread of disease. However, traditional face masks impede communication, posing significant challenges for approximately 13% of the general population and 10% of healthcare and social assistance workers who have hearing loss and who rely on lipreading and other non-verbal cues. Traditional surgical masks and N95 respirator masks serve important roles in healthcare, but they differ in levels of protection. Currently, a transparent surgical mask is available, but not an N95 version. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the usability, fit, and communicative effectiveness of a prototype, transparent N95 mask compared to a traditional N95 mask. Participants aged 18 and older, including individuals with and without hearing loss, were recruited for quasi-randomized fit testing of traditional and prototype, non-transparent N95 masks performed using the mandated Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fit testing protocol. Fit testing was conducted with 202 participants, most of whom identified as health workers. The participants then completed a survey covering mask fit, comfort, and usability. The transparent mask achieved a higher pass rate in OSHA fit testing than the traditional N95 mask, validating its use in this comparative study. In general, quantitative analyses revealed a strong preference and positive perceived value for the transparent mask. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data from a single open-ended item revealed 10 primary themes: Improved Communication, Comfort and Fit, Accessibility and Inclusivity, Professional Settings, Positive User Experience, Emotional Connection, Improvement Suggestions, Education and Awareness, Potential for Various Settings, and Safety and Protection. The transparent mask significantly improved communication, particularly for those relying on speachreading. The transparent N95 mask thus offers a viable solution for mitigating communication barriers in healthcare while maintaining the well-established protective benefits of N95 masks. Their adoption could enhance patient--provider interactions, improve patient outcomes, and foster a more inclusive environment in healthcare and other professional settings, especially for those with hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of the American Deafness & Rehabilitation Association (JADARA) is the property of American Deafness & Rehabilitation Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 188867873 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Towards Accessibility in Healthcare for Individuals With and Without Hearing Loss: Evaluation of Usability, Fit, and Communicative Effectiveness of a Transparent N95 Mask Prototype. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Atcherson%2C+Samuel+R%2E%22">Atcherson, Samuel R.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Schultes%2C+Brooklyn%22">Schultes, Brooklyn</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hahne%2C+Jeanne%22">Hahne, Jeanne</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22DeBaun%2C+Barbara%22">DeBaun, Barbara</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Showell%2C+Chris%22">Showell, Chris</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+the+American+Deafness+%26+Rehabilitation+Association+%28JADARA%29%22">Journal of the American Deafness & Rehabilitation Association (JADARA)</searchLink>. 2025, Vol. 56 Issue 3, p21-56. 36p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hearing+disorders%22">Hearing disorders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22N95+respirators%22">N95 respirators</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Web+accessibility%22">Web accessibility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22User-centered+system+design%22">User-centered system design</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Medical+care%22">Medical care</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Face-to-face+communication%22">Face-to-face communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Treatment+effectiveness%22">Treatment effectiveness</searchLink> – Name: SubjectCompany Label: Company/Entity Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+States%2E+Occupational+Safety+%26+Health+Administration%22">United States. Occupational Safety & Health Administration</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the necessity of effective face masks in both public and healthcare settings for mitigating the spread of disease. However, traditional face masks impede communication, posing significant challenges for approximately 13% of the general population and 10% of healthcare and social assistance workers who have hearing loss and who rely on lipreading and other non-verbal cues. Traditional surgical masks and N95 respirator masks serve important roles in healthcare, but they differ in levels of protection. Currently, a transparent surgical mask is available, but not an N95 version. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the usability, fit, and communicative effectiveness of a prototype, transparent N95 mask compared to a traditional N95 mask. Participants aged 18 and older, including individuals with and without hearing loss, were recruited for quasi-randomized fit testing of traditional and prototype, non-transparent N95 masks performed using the mandated Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fit testing protocol. Fit testing was conducted with 202 participants, most of whom identified as health workers. The participants then completed a survey covering mask fit, comfort, and usability. The transparent mask achieved a higher pass rate in OSHA fit testing than the traditional N95 mask, validating its use in this comparative study. In general, quantitative analyses revealed a strong preference and positive perceived value for the transparent mask. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data from a single open-ended item revealed 10 primary themes: Improved Communication, Comfort and Fit, Accessibility and Inclusivity, Professional Settings, Positive User Experience, Emotional Connection, Improvement Suggestions, Education and Awareness, Potential for Various Settings, and Safety and Protection. The transparent mask significantly improved communication, particularly for those relying on speachreading. The transparent N95 mask thus offers a viable solution for mitigating communication barriers in healthcare while maintaining the well-established protective benefits of N95 masks. Their adoption could enhance patient--provider interactions, improve patient outcomes, and foster a more inclusive environment in healthcare and other professional settings, especially for those with hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of the American Deafness & Rehabilitation Association (JADARA) is the property of American Deafness & Rehabilitation Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=188867873 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 36 StartPage: 21 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Hearing disorders Type: general – SubjectFull: N95 respirators Type: general – SubjectFull: Web accessibility Type: general – SubjectFull: User-centered system design Type: general – SubjectFull: Medical care Type: general – SubjectFull: Face-to-face communication Type: general – SubjectFull: Treatment effectiveness Type: general – SubjectFull: United States. Occupational Safety & Health Administration Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Towards Accessibility in Healthcare for Individuals With and Without Hearing Loss: Evaluation of Usability, Fit, and Communicative Effectiveness of a Transparent N95 Mask Prototype. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Atcherson, Samuel R. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Schultes, Brooklyn – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hahne, Jeanne – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: DeBaun, Barbara – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Showell, Chris IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Text: 2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 08999228 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 56 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of the American Deafness & Rehabilitation Association (JADARA) Type: main |
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