Quality Control of Operating Room Traffic by Direct Observation

In an operating room, the pressure is controlled to be greater than the pressure of the hallway surrounding it. However, the positive pressure decreases if the door is opened frequently or for a prolonged period. This study assessed intraoperative measures for preventing the onset of a surgical site infection (SSI). The problems assessed in this study were excessive traffic in the operating room (OR) and low hand hygiene (HH) rates.

Six ORs were observed over a three-month period. Data was collected using a close-ended survey tool. Whether HH was performed and any observable reason for entering or exiting was recorded. The reasons observed were categorized into three groups based on how essential they were to the surgery.

800 observations were recorded during the time the incision was open. The reasons were categorized into the following: necessary (n=181; 22.6%), sometimes necessary or potentially avoidable (n=244; 30.5%), unnecessary (n=144; 14.25%), and the rest of the observations (n=166; 20.70%) had no observable causes. 143 (17.9%) of staff members completed HH.

The data exemplifies the importance of continuing to monitor traffic and hand hygiene compliance in the operating room.