Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021 Oct;165(4):528-531. doi: 10.1177/0194599820986584. Epub 2021 Jan 12.
The objective of this short scientific communication is to describe and test a strategy to overcome communication barriers in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era otolaryngology operating rooms. Thirteen endoscopic sinus surgeries, 4 skull base surgeries, and 1 tracheotomy were performed with powered air-purifying respirators. During these surgeries, surgical team members donned headsets with microphones linked via conference call. Noise measurements and survey responses were obtained and compared to pre-COVID-19 data. Noise was problematic and caused miscommunication as per 93% and 76% of respondents, respectively. Noise in COVID-19 era operating rooms was significantly higher compared to pre-COVID-19 era data (73.8 vs 70.2 decibels, = .04). Implementation of this headset strategy significantly improved communication. Respondents with headsets were less likely to encounter communication problems (31% vs 93%, < .001). Intraoperative measures to protect surgical team members during aerosolizing surgeries may impair communication. Linking team members via a conference call is a solution to improve communication.
本次简短的科学交流旨在描述并测试一种策略，以克服 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）时代耳鼻喉科手术室的沟通障碍。使用动力空气净化呼吸器进行了 13 例内镜鼻窦手术、4 例颅底手术和 1 例气管切开术。在这些手术中，手术团队成员戴上带有麦克风的耳机，并通过电话会议进行连接。获得了噪声测量和调查回复，并与 COVID-19 之前的数据进行了比较。根据 93%和 76%的受访者的反馈，噪声存在问题并导致沟通不畅。COVID-19 时代手术室的噪声明显高于 COVID-19 之前的数据（73.8 分贝对 70.2 分贝， =.04）。实施这种耳机策略显著改善了沟通。使用耳机的受访者遇到沟通问题的可能性更小（31%对 93%， <.001）。在产生气溶胶的手术过程中保护手术团队成员的术中措施可能会影响沟通。通过电话会议将团队成员联系起来是改善沟通的一种解决方案。
