Creating a Culture of Safety by Reducing Noise Levels in the OR

Abstract We implemented a quality improvement project to reduce noise levels in the OR in response to complaints from the anesthesia staff members at two community hospitals. Excessive noise has been shown to increase staff member stress, fatigue, distraction, and ineffective communication, which ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AORN journal 2015-10, Vol.102 (4), p.410.e1-410.e7
Main Authors: Hogan, Lisa J., Harvey, Renee L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accountability
Anesthesia
Anesthesia & Perioperative Care
anesthesia emergence
anesthesia induction
Behavior
Communication
Hospitals
Humans
Medical errors
Noise
noise level
Nursing
Operating Rooms
Patient Safety
Perianesthesia
Quality improvement
Surgery
workforce safety
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Summary:Abstract We implemented a quality improvement project to reduce noise levels in the OR in response to complaints from the anesthesia staff members at two community hospitals. Excessive noise has been shown to increase staff member stress, fatigue, distraction, and ineffective communication, which can lead to medical errors. We measured noise levels during anesthesia induction and emergence for 118 different surgical procedures and compared noise levels before and after the improvement project intervention. Staff member education and noise reduction strategies, which included signage, prominent noise meters, and specific suggestions to staff members, helped to significantly reduce the noise level during the anesthetic induction and emergence phases of OR procedures.
ISSN:0001-2092
1878-0369
DOI:10.1016/j.aorn.2015.08.005