Abstract
This study aimed to compare facial expression recognition of nursing students wearing and not wearing a surgical
mask and to clarify the accuracy of their recognition. In order to understand the tendencies and characteristics of facial expression recognition among nursing students, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 160 students from the first, second and fourth years of a nursing university. The survey focused on perceived difficulty in communication, and facial expressions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness and surprise) were compared with and without wearing a facial mask. Wearing a surgical mask had a significant influence on the facial expression recognition of disgust, fear, and anger but did not have a significant influence on the facial expression recognition of happiness, sadness, and surprise. Moreover, for students wearing a surgical mask, had no significant differences were found in facial expression recognition based on clinical experience by year or the presence or absence of communication difficulty. The results suggest that future research should focus on the perspectives of nursing students, and that it is necessary to develop accurate facial expression recognition skills even when wearing a surgical mask.
