[Can othopaedic surgeons accelerate time, or does the enthusiasm for alcohol rub just decrease by age?]

Area of Science:

• Surgical Procedures
• Medical Education
• Gerontology

Background:

• Surgical hand antisepsis is critical for patient safety.
• The perception of time and its effect on procedural efficiency in surgeons is not well understood.
• Orthopaedic surgeons are known for their efficiency, but the factors contributing to this are debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between surgeon age, time perception, and the duration of surgical hand antisepsis.
• To determine if orthopaedic surgeons' perception of time changes with age.
• To assess surgeons' attitudes towards standard hand antisepsis guidelines.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study secretly timed orthopaedic surgeons performing alcohol rub for hand antisepsis.
• Surgeons' perception of 120 seconds and attitudes towards hand antisepsis were assessed.
• Data were analyzed comparing surgeons under 50 years of age with older surgeons.

Main Results:

• Surgeons under 50 years old took significantly longer to complete alcohol rub.
• No significant differences in time perception or attitudes toward surgical hand antisepsis were found between age groups.
• All surgeons demonstrated awareness of and adherence to standard guidelines.

Conclusions:

• Orthopaedic surgeons' efficiency in hand antisepsis may not be solely explained by age-related cognitive changes.
• Surgeons may possess an ability to alter their perception of time, accelerating procedural execution.
• Findings add to the unique characteristics attributed to orthopaedic surgeons.