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Impairment of anesthesia task performance by laser protection goggles
C Boucek1, J A Freeman, N G Bircher
1Department of Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania.
Anesthesia and Analgesia
|December 1, 1993
Summary
Wearing colored goggles during surgery may increase medication errors. This study found that colored goggles slowed task performance and led to more errors, especially serious ones, in medication sorting.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Patient Safety
- Human Factors Engineering
Background:
- Colored goggles are frequently used during laser surgery.
- Potential impact of these goggles on provider performance and patient safety is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if wearing colored goggles affects task completion time and medication error rates.
- To assess the impact of colored goggles on the accuracy and speed of medication identification.
Main Methods:
- Thirty anesthesia care providers participated in the study.
- Participants completed the Stromberg Dexterity Test and a novel Medication Sorting Task (MST) twice: once with and once without colored goggles.
- Testing conditions simulated operating room lighting and included time constraints.
Main Results:
- Task completion times improved with test repetition.
- Wearing colored goggles significantly increased the time required to complete both tests.
- Medication Sorting Task (MST) performance showed a higher incidence of errors, including serious ones, when colored goggles were worn.
Conclusions:
- The use of colored goggles, particularly in conjunction with low light and time pressure, may elevate the risk of medication errors.
- Findings suggest a need to re-evaluate the routine use of colored goggles in surgical settings.
- Further research is warranted to explore mitigation strategies for performance decrements associated with surgical eyewear.