Theatre scrub

Female surgeons have increased rates of infertility and pregnancy complications compared to the general population. Reported infertility rates in surgeons are 32% compared to 10.9% in the general population. Reported pregnancy complication rates in surgeons range from 25% to 35%. In the orthopaedic operating theatre occupational hazards that have an effect on pregnancy outcomes include radiation, exposure to methyl methacrylate in bone cement, surgical smoke, sharps injuries, exposure to anaesthetic waste gases and the effects of the physical demands of surgery including prolonged work hours and night shift work...

ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate patient outcomes from a 12-month pilot program establishing specialist surgical services in a small rural (Modified Monash Model, MM4) hospital on the south coast of NSW.MethodsSuitable patients for ambulatory surgery were selected based on strict anaesthetic, surgical and social criteria. Skills shortfalls among nursing staff, usually with emergency or inpatient experience, were addressed by appropriate re-training and in-service training in scrub, scout and anaesthetic duties...

Excessive noise in the orthopaedic operating theatre (OT) is an underrecognized and often neglected health hazard noticed amongst surgeons, patients and theatre and scrub practitioners. A comprehensive search strategy was conducted using databases, such as PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, with the search words 'noise', 'NIHL' and 'orthopaedics' to retrieve the significant data and generate this narrative review. We evaluated the typical causes, potential hazards and negative effects of noise-induced impacts on OT personnel and patients...

BACKGROUND: Achieving surgical autonomy can be considered the ultimate goal of surgical training. Innovative head-mounted augmented reality (AR) devices enable visualization of the operating field and teaching from remote. Therefore, utilization of AR glasses may be a novel approach to achieve autonomy. The aim of this pilot study is to analyze the feasibility of AR application in surgical training and to assess its impact on intraoperative stress. METHODS: A head-mounted RealWear Navigator® 500 glasses and the TeamViewer software were used...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Healthcare workers (HCWs), which include surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nurses, technicians, and other non-medical staff working in the operation theatre (OT), change to surgical scrubs for providing designated services. This study was intended to investigate the association of moving in and out of OT to other hospital areas without changing scrubs and its impact on bacterial infection. METHODS: After PROSPERO registration, we performed a systematic review to compare the occurrence of surgical site infections (SSIs) with or without the movement of HCWs outside OT...

BACKGROUND: Personalised theatre caps have been shown to improve staff communication in the operating theatre. The impact of these caps on the patient perioperative experience, particularly in Indigenous Australian patients, has not been well established. METHODOLOGY: Surgical patients and operating theatre staff at Royal Darwin Hospital in Australia were surveyed before and after the introduction of Indigenous art-themed personalised (name and role) theatre caps in October 2021 and January 2022...

Introduction United Kingdom surgical training consists of a two-year core surgical training (CST) followed by a six-year higher speciality training (ST). There is a significant step up in responsibility and operative skills when transitioning from core to higher training. One-way trainees can bridge this gap is to "act up" to registrar level "CST-R." The CST "steps up" to the role of ST typically in the latter part of their core training and gains exposure at being the "reg of the week," primary assistant in theatre, managing MDTs, and taking speciality referrals...

BACKGROUND: Climate change is an era-defining health concern, with healthcare related emissions paradoxically compounding negative impacts. The NHS produces 5% of the UK's carbon footprint, with operating theatres a recognised carbon hotspot. NHS England aims to become Net Zero by 2045. Consequently, UK Royal Colleges of Surgery have published guidance to foster an evidence-based sustainable transformation in surgical practice. METHODS: A single-centre quality improvement project was undertaken, aiming to provide an overview of sustainable practice locally...

BACKGROUND: Operating room nurses have specialised technical and non-technical skills and are essential members of the surgical team. The profession's dependency of tacit knowledge has made their non-technical skills difficult to access for researchers, thus, creating limitations in the identification of the non-technical skills of operating room nurses. Non-technical skills are categorised in the crew resource management framework, and previously, non-technical skills of operating room nurses have been identified within the scope of the framework...

BACKGROUND: Theatre personnel can spread healthcare-associated infections through contaminated surgical scrubs. Decontamination of surgical scrubs through optimal methods is important to minimise transmission of microorganisms from theatre personnel's clothing to different areas in the hospital and their homes. AIM: This study aimed to review the literature on the optimal home and hospital laundering methods for the decontamination of reusable surgical scrubs worn by theatre personnel...

Introduction Public health and well-being outcomes are intimately connected with the health of our planet. Climate change has numerous far-reaching effects. Managing and mitigating these risks to human health presents one of the next challenges to global healthcare. The current usage of planetary resources is unsustainable. Surgical procedures are particularly resource-intensive, often utilising vast amounts of single-use consumables, like water. In the last 100 years global usage of fresh water has increased six-fold and continues to rise by 1% year on year...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In healthcare settings, hospital water and water-related devices can act as a reservoir for waterborne infections. Potable water, sinks, faucet aerators, showers, tub immersion, toilets, dialysis water, water baths, eyewash stations, and dental-unit water stations have all been linked to nosocomial outbreaks. This study aimed to determine the microbial profile and pattern of antibiotic resistance in the water supply of a tertiary care hospital in Uttarakhand...

PURPOSE: Given the growing demand for intraoperative imaging, there is increased concern for radiation dose for orthopaedic surgical staff. This study sought to determine the distribution of scatter radiation from fluoroscopic imaging in the orthopaedic surgical environment, with particular emphasis on the positions of personnel and the type of orthopaedic surgery performed. METHODS: A radiation survey detector was deployed at various angles and distances around an anthropomorphic phantom...

BACKGROUND: Successful implementation of environmentally sustainable practices in the operating theatre (OT) requires stakeholder engagement. We evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of OT users in our institution towards sustainable practices in the OT. METHODS: A survey was conducted among OT users in August 2022. Respondents completed a 44-question anonymised online survey covering sustainability in (1) knowledge, (2) attitude, (3) practice, and (4) proposed changes to current practices...

Background and Objectives : Noise exposure during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been demonstrated to exceed thresholds that are deemed as over-exposure by industry noise level standards. With orthopedic surgeons being at risk of suffering from Noise Induced Hearing Loss, the purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the viability of the use of industry grade active noise cancelling headphones (ANCH) during TKA. Material and Methods: In this prospective pilot study, 10 TKA were performed. In five of these cases, surgeon, assistant, scrub nurse and anesthetist wore ANCH with automatic noise level dependent noise attenuation above 82 dB...

Background Sterilization and aseptic surgical techniques are the most important keys to successful postoperative outcomes. The standard surgical gloving technique causes early wound healing and reduces morbidity and mortality. Objective To assess the standard technique of donning sterile surgical gloves while scrubbing among young surgeons. Material and Methods This two-week prospective audit involved 60 young residents and house officers after ensuring ethical implications. Participants were observed unannounced for donning sterile surgical gloves in the surgical operation theatre (OT) according to the standard criteria set by World Health Organization (WHO) before and after the relevant intervention...

In the operating theatre, the scrub nurse has a wide range of roles, including responsibility for organising and ensuring that the correct instrumentation is available to the surgeon in the operating field, while maintaining stringent adherence to the principles of asepsis. Robotic techniques have revolutionised many procedures, providing surgeons with improved tissue access and tool control compared with open or laparoscopic techniques. However, adopting this technology has created additional challenges in the scrub nurse's role in areas such as team dynamics and the need to gather and disseminate vital patient information...

ObjectiveOptimal utilisation of theatre time increases efficiency and reduces the cost of health care. The accuracy of surgical time estimation between different members of the theatre team has not been well documented, and may aid in more efficient utilisation of available theatre time. This study aims to identify the cohort of theatre staff with greatest accuracy in estimating orthopaedic surgical time.MethodsThis study was conducted in a prospective fashion using consecutive orthopaedic trauma and elective operative lists over a period of 3 months...

The modular operating theater (MOT) system is often used in operating rooms since it is incorporated into a single control panel, enabling its operation more effectively and efficiently. The MOT in the present study's operating room employs analytical techniques, and moreover has complicated space needs. Any hospital that wants to implement MOT in the operating room must adhere to the regulations of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, as everything must adhere to a specific criteria. Additionally, MOT must fulfill the primary components required to ensure that the operational process proceeds properly and without technological difficulties...

INTRODUCTION: Theatre nurses report higher levels of stress and burn-out due to the nature of their work environment. Workplace stress among nurses is associated with decreased well-being resulting is poor health outcomes for patients. However, evidence on well-being among nurses varies considerably, due to the multiple perspectives, definitions and focus on different aspects of well-being. Existing literature has not been consolidated to map out well-being concepts and instruments. In addition, due to limited research in low-income and middle-income countries, the most contextually relevant instruments for this context has not been identified...