A study published in the British Journal of Surgery has suggested noisy operating rooms may put patients at greater risk for surgical site infections.
Researchers measured the sound level during 35 elective open abdominal procedures, and the primary outcome parameter was the SSI rate within 30 days of surgery. The overall SSI rate was 17 percent and the median sound level was significantly higher for those patients who developed an SSI.
The study implies that noise could be used as an immediate feedback mechanism during surgery to alert surgical team members that concentration or communication may be impaired. Sources of noise mentioned in the study include surgical instruments, monitors, alarms, conversation, suction machines and background noise. All of these factors may be related to the difficulty of the operation, according to the study.
Read the study on noise, operating rooms and surgical site infections (pdf).
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Researchers measured the sound level during 35 elective open abdominal procedures, and the primary outcome parameter was the SSI rate within 30 days of surgery. The overall SSI rate was 17 percent and the median sound level was significantly higher for those patients who developed an SSI.
The study implies that noise could be used as an immediate feedback mechanism during surgery to alert surgical team members that concentration or communication may be impaired. Sources of noise mentioned in the study include surgical instruments, monitors, alarms, conversation, suction machines and background noise. All of these factors may be related to the difficulty of the operation, according to the study.
Read the study on noise, operating rooms and surgical site infections (pdf).
Related Articles on Hospital OR Studies:
Study: Time of Day May Not Affect Patient Survival Rate for Heart, Lung Transplants
Study: Hospital Claims of Superior Robotic Surgery Not Always Backed by Evidence
Study: Little Sleep May Not Affect Heart Surgeons' Performance