Surgeons' non-transparent facemasks challenge the physician-patient relationship in the orthopedic outpatient clinic of a tertiary university hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study of 285 patients

Background and purpose - Facemasks play a role in preventing the respiratory spread of SARS-CoV-2, but their impact on the physician-patient relationship in the orthopedic outpatient clinic is unclear. We investigated whether the type of surgeons' facemask impacts patients' perception of the physician-patient relationship, influences their understanding of what the surgeon said, or affects their perceived empathy. Patients and methods - All patients with an appointment in the orthopedic outpatient clinic of a tertiary university hospital during the 2-week study period were included. During consultations, all surgeons wore a non-transparent (first study week) or transparent facemask (second study week). Results of 285 of 407 eligible patients were available for analysis. The doctor-patient relationship was evaluated using the standardized Patient Reactions Assessment (PRA) and a 10-point Likert-scale questionnaire ranging from 0 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree). Results - A non-transparent facemask led to more restrictions in the physician-patient communication and a worse understanding of what the surgeon said. Patients' understanding improved with a transparent facemask with greatest improvements reported by patients aged 65 years and older (non-transparent: 6 [IQR 5-10] vs. transparent: 10 [IQR 9-10], p < 0.001) and by patients with a self-reported hearing impairment (non-transparent: 7 [IQR 3-7] vs. transparent: 9 [IQR 9-10], p < 0.001). The median PRA score was higher when surgeons wore a transparent facemask (p = 0.003). Interpretation - Surgeons' non-transparent facemasks pose a new communication barrier that can negatively affect the physician-patient relationship. While emotional factors like affectivity and empathy seem to be less affected overall, the physician-patient communication and patients' understanding of what the surgeon said seem to be negatively affected.