Counting Backwards: Tracing the Effect of Human Factors in Anesthesiology

The physical ergonomics of the anesthesiologist's environment requires accommodation to the surgical field, which can cause work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Tubes, wires, and cables can lead to injuries due to falls. Operating room (OR) design could benefit from the influence of human factors engineering principles to improve the space for anesthesiologists with a focus on how their workspace interacts with others in the operating room. Communication when coordinating medical care, especially during emergent situations, can be hindered by the noise in an operating room, including alarms which average 1.2 alarms per minute. The anesthesiologist's handoff requires delivering critical and timely information as quickly as possible without decreasing the level of care. Handoffs may lack pertinent information or increase the risk of controlled drug discrepancies, which highlights the need to reduce the amount of transfers of care during anesthesia and the need for standardized handoff protocols. The design of the operating room should aim to place anesthesiologists as the focal point within their workspace.