Prevention and Management of Operating Room Fire: An Interprofessional Operating Room Team Simulation Case.

Area of Science:

• Medical Simulation
• Patient Safety
• Surgical Fire Prevention

Background:

• Operating room (OR) fires pose significant risks to patients and healthcare providers, presenting challenges even for experienced staff.
• Effective prevention and management strategies are crucial for mitigating these adverse events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a multidisciplinary simulation for training OR staff in the identification and management of surgical fires.
• To assess the perceived realism, relevance, and impact of the simulation on clinical practice and teamwork.

Main Methods:

• A high-fidelity simulation scenario involving a 52-year-old male patient undergoing cervical lymph node biopsy under sedation was developed.
• Multidisciplinary teams including residents, nurse anesthetists, nurses, and surgical technicians participated in weekly 90-minute simulation sessions.
• Sessions included orientation, case management with rapid cycle debriefing, and a final debriefing with evaluations.

Main Results:

• 86 participants completed the simulation between April and June 2015.
• Participants reported high levels of realism (80%) and relevance to clinical practice (93%).
• A significant majority felt the simulation changed their practice (82%) and promoted teamwork (80%).

Conclusions:

• Multidisciplinary collaboration and prompt coordination are essential for OR fire prevention and management.
• This simulation effectively trained learners in crisis management of OR fire events.
• The simulation demonstrated a positive impact on perceived clinical practice and teamwork, highlighting its value in surgical safety training.