Human-Caused Sound Distractors and their Impact on Operating Room Team Function

Area of Science:

• Healthcare acoustics
• Surgical safety
• Human factors engineering

Background:

• Operating room (OR) patient safety relies on clear team communication.
• OR environments are characterized by high noise levels from machinery and human activity.
• The impact of machine-generated versus human-generated sounds on OR communication is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the loudness and distracting effects of machine-generated and human-generated sounds in the OR.
• To assess the potential impact of these sounds on surgical team communication and performance.
• To identify specific sound sources that interfere with OR operations.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed OR staff regarding noise interference with job performance and communication.
• Recorded and measured the acoustical intensity of 19 machine and 48 human-caused sounds.
• Observed the effect of sounds on staff during 59 live surgeries and performed spectral analysis.

Main Results:

• 93% of respondents reported that OR noise, particularly human-caused sounds like conversations, interferes with communication, hearing, and focus.
• Human-caused sounds were rated as more interfering with surgical team function than machine-caused sounds, despite comparable peak decibel levels.
• Spectral analysis revealed that both machine and human-caused sounds obscured critical surgeon instructions.

Conclusions:

• Avoidable human-caused sounds are a primary source of disruption in the OR, negatively impacting communication and performance.
• Minimizing human-generated noise through targeted interventions is crucial for enhancing OR safety.
• Surgical team training focused on reducing noise distractions is recommended to improve communication and patient safety.