In the healthcare setting, masks are used to prevent HCWs acquiring respiratory infections, from splashes of blood and body fluids and to reduce transfer of potentially infectious body fluids in the sterile area. Alternatively, they may be used by the HCW and coughing patient to prevent the spread of infection in the ward, referred to as “source control” [1-4]. Masks were not designed to provide respiratory protection [5], as they have consistently lower filtration efficiency than respirators [6-9].
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3693993/