Abstract
The department of anesthesia for a Washington, D.C. hospital engaged the MedStar National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare to identify opportunities for improving the anesthesia work environment with aims to mitigate the risk of pathogen transmission during operating room procedures. The human factors approach included operating room visits for observation and thematic analysis to identify emerging themes. Process inconsistencies in hand hygiene and cleaning practices were indicative of system vulnerabilities, including organizational influences and the design of the physical environment. Work-space design recommendations as well as strategies to improve infection control processes and safety culture are presented.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.