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Face mask use by patients in primary care.

CONTEXT
Face masks are recommended for patients with respiratory symptoms to reduce influenza transmission. Little knowledge exists regarding actual utilization and acceptance of face masks in primary care.


OBJECTIVE
Compare distribution of face masks to clinic and community trends in respiratory infection (RI) and influenza-like illness (ILI); estimate the annual need for face masks in primary care.


DESIGN
Retrospective observational study of practice data from a 31-week period starting in October 2009.


SETTING
Family practice clinic in Madison, Wis.


PATIENTS
Patients with fever, cough, or other respiratory symptoms as evaluated by reception staff.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Age, sex, and weekly counts of individuals receiving a face mask, as well as counts of RI and ILI patients based on ICD-9 coding from 27 statewide clinics.


RESULTS
Face mask counts were 80% of RI counts for the clinic and reflected the demographics of the clinic population. Distribution was correlated to prevalence of RI (R = 0.783, P < 0.001) and ILI (R = 0.632, P < 0.001). Annually, 8% of clinic visits were for RI.


CONCLUSIONS
The high percentage of face mask use among RI patients reflects the feasibility of this intervention to help control influenza transmission in a primary care setting. Using the present data, clinics can estimate the annual need for face masks.