Research

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Patients trust their doctors more when wearing ClearMask™ Transparent Surgical Masks compared to standard masks
Patients trust their doctors more when wearing ClearMask™ Transparent Surgical Masks compared to standard masks

First-of-its-kind study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Surgery says improved patient-provider communication through the ClearMask™ Transparent Surgical Mask could lead to better patient outcomes, potential to reduce litigation

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Masks saw more than 90% of deaf people struggle to communicate during pandemic
Masks saw more than 90% of deaf people struggle to communicate during pandemic

Study from University of Essex finds that masks make it difficult to read lips and judge facial expressions; transparent masks preferred option for many.

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Transparent masks allow perception of facial expressions, bringing a clear advantage over surgical face masks
Transparent masks allow perception of facial expressions, bringing a clear advantage over surgical face masks

Research finds that standard masks can impair reading facial expressions, and can be mitigated by wearing a transparent face mask.

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Turning to transparent masks and the arts for communication strategies in healthcare
Turning to transparent masks and the arts for communication strategies in healthcare

Research highlights transparent masks and the performing arts as solutions to communication barriers when working with patients.

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Transparent masks and remote microphone technology can lead to greater communication and understanding
Transparent masks and remote microphone technology can lead to greater communication and understanding

Findings from The University of Texas at Dallas show that transparent masks with remote microphone technology can help improve communication in background noise.

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Can transparent masks help overcome communication barriers? These researchers think so.
Can transparent masks help overcome communication barriers? These researchers think so.

In another study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, patients and healthcare workers preferred clear transparent masks when it comes to providing clear communication.

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Transparent masks bring many benefits to audiologists and speech-language pathologists
Transparent masks bring many benefits to audiologists and speech-language pathologists

Findings by Dr. A.U. Bankaitis, PhD point to positive aspects of clear masks when working with patients.

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Patients trust their doctors more when wearing ClearMask™ Transparent Surgical Masks compared to standard masks
Patients trust their doctors more when wearing ClearMask™ Transparent Surgical Masks compared to standard masks

First-of-its-kind study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Surgery says improved patient-provider communication through the ClearMask™ Transparent Surgical Mask could lead to better patient outcomes, potential to reduce litigation

Read More →

Latest Research

Atcherson SR, Finley ET, McDowell BR, Watson C. More Speech Degradations and Considerations in the Search for Transparent Face Coverings During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Audiology Today. 2020. https://www.audiology.org/news-and-publications/audiology-today/articles/more-speech-degradations-and-considerations-in-the-search-for-transparent-face-coverings-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/. Accessed August 22, 2022.

Atcherson SR, Mendel LL, Baltimore WJ, et al. The effect of conventional and transparent surgical masks on speech understanding in individuals with and without hearing loss. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. 2017;28(01):58-67. doi:10.3766/jaaa.15151. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28054912/.

Campagne DM. The problem with communication stress from face masks. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports. 2021;3. doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2020.100069. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266691532030069X#!.

Carbon C-C. Wearing face masks strongly confuses counterparts in reading emotions. Frontiers in Psychology. 2020;11. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.566886. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.566886/full.

Chu JN, Collins JE, Chen TT, et al. Patient and health care worker perceptions of communication and ability to identify emotion when wearing standard and transparent masks. JAMA Network Open. 2021;4(11). doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.35386. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2786414.

Gutierrez-Sigut, E., Lamarche, V.M., Rowley, K. et al. How do face masks impact communication amongst deaf/HoH people? Cogn. Research 2021;7(81). doi:10.1186/s41235-022-00431-4. https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-022-00431-4.

Homans NC, Vroegop JL. Impact of face masks in public spaces during COVID-19 pandemic on daily life communication of cochlear implant users. Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology. 2021;6(3):531-539. doi:10.1002/lio2.578. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/lio2.578.

Homans NC, Vroegop JL. The impact of face masks on the communication of adults with hearing loss during COVID-19 in a clinical setting. International Journal of Audiology. 2021;61(5):365-370. doi:10.1080/14992027.2021.1952490. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14992027.2021.1952490?src=recsys.

Kratzke IM, Rosenbaum ME, Cox C, Ollila DW, Kapadia MR. Effect of clear vs standard covered masks on communication with patients during Surgical Clinic encounters. JAMA Surgery. 2021;156(4):372-378. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2021.0836. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2777511.

McCrackin SD, Provencher S, Mendell E, Ristic J. Transparent masks reduce the negative impact of opaque masks on understanding emotional states but not on sharing them. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. 2022;7(1). doi:10.1186/s41235-022-00411-8. https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-022-00427-0.

Miyazaki Y, Kamatani M, Suda T, Wakasugi K, Matsunaga K, Kawahara JI. Effects of wearing a transparent face mask on perception of facial expressions. i-Perception. 2022;13(3):1-18. doi:10.1177/20416695221105910. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20416695221105910.

Murphy P, Lewis D, Gormley GJ. Caring from behind the face mask in healthcare: Learning from the dramatic arts. Perspectives on Medical Education. 2021;10(6):352-355. doi:10.1007/s40037-021-00691-8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8567126.

Poon BT, Jenstad LM. Communication with face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic for adults with hearing loss. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. 2022;7(1). doi:10.1186/s41235-022-00376-8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8935619/.

Saunders GH, Jackson IR, Visram AS. Impacts of face coverings on communication: An indirect impact of covid-19. International Journal of Audiology. 2020;60(7):495-506. doi:10.1080/14992027.2020.1851401. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33246380.

Thibodeau LM, Thibodeau-Nielsen RB, Tran CM, Jacob RT. Communicating during COVID-19: The effect of transparent masks for speech recognition in noise. Ear and Hearing. 2021;42(4):772-781. doi:10.1097/aud.0000000000001065. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33813522.

Yi H, Pingsterhaus A, Song W. Effects of wearing face masks while using different speaking styles in noise on speech intelligibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology. 2021;12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682677. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8292133/.