Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
06:43
Esophageal Heat Transfer for Patient Temperature Control and Targeted Temperature Management
Published on: November 21, 2017
Risks and health effects in operating room personnel
Marleen L van den Berg-Dijkmeijer1, Monique H W Frings-Dresen, Judith K Sluiter
1Coronel Institute of Occupational Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Work (Reading, Mass.)
|June 29, 2011
Summary
Operating room (OR) personnel face health risks from infectious agents, noise, anesthetic gases, and radiation. These exposures can lead to skin disorders, musculoskeletal issues, and infections, necessitating worker surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Environmental Health
- Medical Surveillance
Background:
- Work-related health issues among operating room (OR) personnel have been identified.
- Preparations for a new Worker's Health Surveillance (WHS) program are underway.
- A literature review is crucial for understanding OR health risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors posing health risks to OR personnel.
- To inform the development of a new WHS program.
- To systematically review existing literature on OR occupational hazards.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature review was conducted.
- Databases searched included PubMed.
- Articles published between January 1991 and December 2007 were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Twenty-three articles indicated exposure to infectious agents, noise, anesthetic gases, and radiation in the OR.
- Eleven studies reported increased risks of allergic skin diseases, musculoskeletal complaints, and infectious diseases.
- Specific occupational hazards and their associated health effects were identified.
Conclusions:
- Key health risks for OR personnel include infectious agents, noise, anesthetic gases, and radiation.
- Associated health effects encompass allergic skin disorders, musculoskeletal complaints, and infectious diseases.
- Findings support the need for targeted worker health surveillance in operating rooms.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Standard Precaution
Standard precautions are the minimum infection control safeguards used while caring for all patients, irrespective of their disease condition. They help prevent the spread of common infectious microorganisms to healthcare workers, patients, and visitors in all healthcare settings.
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
01:19Respiratory Assessment: Purpose and Indications
Respiratory assessment is a cornerstone of nursing assessments, crucial for the early detection of patient deterioration. This evaluation transcends routine procedures, representing a critical skill nurses must master to ensure optimal patient care.
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Transmission-based precautions are for patients infected or suspected to be infected (or colonized) with organisms posing a significant risk to others. The transmission precautions include airborne and protective environment precautions.
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
Essential infection prevention measures are based on the knowledge of the infection chain, the modes of transmission in healthcare settings, and the use of the best practices in all healthcare settings. Compulsory public reporting of healthcare-associated infection rates is needed to allow individuals and the community to make informed choices regarding selecting a healthcare facility.
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:10PPE Use in Healthcare Settings II: Doffing
The sequence of removing or doffing PPE starts with the gloves, as they are the most contaminated. Next is removal of the face shield or goggles, as they would interfere with removing other PPE. Then remove the gown, followed by the mask or respirator. Perform hand hygiene between steps if hands become contaminated and immediately after removing all PPE. Generally, the outside front and sleeves of the isolation gown, the goggles or the mask, the respirator, and the face shield are contaminated.
01:26Endoscopic Studies II: Thoracocentesis
Thoracentesis(Thoracocentesis), commonly known as pleural tap, is a medical procedure where a 22 gauge needle is inserted into the pleural space, the area between the lung and chest wall. This procedure is commonly performed to diagnose or treat various respiratory disorders.
Description
Excess pleural fluid or air may accumulate in some respiratory disorders in the thoracic cavity. To treat pleural effusion, a physician conducts thoracentesis by carefully piercing the chest wall and entering...
Description
Excess pleural fluid or air may accumulate in some respiratory disorders in the thoracic cavity. To treat pleural effusion, a physician conducts thoracentesis by carefully piercing the chest wall and entering...