Prevention of intraoperative hypothermia: a descriptive-exploratory study.

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Nursing Science
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Unintended hypothermia during surgery poses risks to patients.
• Standardized protocols for intraoperative hypothermia prevention are crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze and compare intraoperative hypothermia prevention measures in public and private hospitals.
• Identify differences in practices and areas for improvement.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative, descriptive-exploratory study.
• Online survey distributed via social media and email to 201 nurses.
• Descriptive statistics and association tests for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant differences found in operating room temperature control, patient body temperature monitoring, and active skin warming methods between hospital types.
• Forced-air warming was the most common active method.
• Nursing staff were primarily responsible for prewarming and active warming implementation.

Conclusions:

• Variations in hypothermia prevention practices exist between public and private hospitals.
• There is a need to enhance the daily implementation of preventive measures.
• Investment in resources and staff training is recommended for hospital managers.