Surgeons who wore clear masks were considered by patients to “be better communicators, have more empathy and elicit greater trust” than surgeons who wore masks that obscured a full view of their faces, researchers reported.
Based on the results, experts are debating whether clear masks should be used in other medical settings, including primary care.
Muneera Kapadia, MD, an associate professor of surgery in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, explained in a press release why the study was done.
“At beginning of pandemic, I had a patient say, ‘It’s