Factors Associated with Surgical Smoke Self-Protection Behavior of Operating Room Nurses

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Surgical Safety
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Surgical smoke poses carcinogenic and infectious disease risks.
• Low willingness among operating room nurses to use protective equipment against surgical smoke.
• Limited exploration of factors influencing personal protective behavior against surgical smoke.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors associated with surgical smoke self-protection behavior in operating room nurses.
• To explore the relationship between personal characteristics, perceived attributes, and protective behaviors.
• To provide data for improving nurse safety in the operating room environment.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive correlational study design.
• Convenience sampling from a medical center in northern Taiwan.
• Utilized self-designed questionnaires assessing personal characteristics and perceived attributes, analyzed via descriptive and linear regression.

Main Results:

• Multivariate linear regression identified in-service education attendance, attitude towards surgical smoke, and self-protection barriers as significant factors.
• The overall model was statistically significant, explaining 14.2% of the variance in self-protection behavior.
• Key predictors included knowledge from training, personal attitude, and perceived obstacles to protection.

Conclusions:

• In-service education, attitude, and barriers are crucial factors influencing surgical smoke self-protection behavior.
• Recommendations include enhancing surgical smoke knowledge, improving nurse attitudes, and optimizing the hospital environment with better smoke evacuation systems.
• Standardizing operating procedures is vital for promoting operating room nurse health and safety.