School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
PLoS One. 2023 Jun 2;18(6):e0286746. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286746. eCollection 2023.
Raising the ambient temperature of the operating theatre is common practice during burn surgeries to maintain the patient's core body temperature; however, the effects of operating in the heat on cognitive performance, manual dexterity, and perceived workload of surgical staff have not been assessed in a real-world context. Therefore, the aim was to assess the real-time impact of heat during burn surgeries on staff's cognitive function, manual dexterity, and perceptual measures (workload, thermal sensation, thermal comfort, perceived exertion, and fatigue) and physiological parameters (core temperature, heart-rate, fluid loss, and dehydration). Ten burn surgery staff members were assessed in CON (24.0±1.1°C, 45±6% relative humidity [RH]) and HOT (30.8±1.6°C, 39±7% RH) burn surgeries (average 150 min duration). Cognitive performance, manual dexterity, and perceptual measures were recorded pre- and post-surgery, while physiological parameters were recorded throughout surgery. HOT conditions did not significantly affect manual dexterity or cognitive function (p > .05), however HOT resulted in heat strain (increased heart-rate, core temperature, and fluid loss: p < .05), and increased subjective workload, discomfort, perceived exertion, and fatigue compared to CON conditions (p < .05). Cognitive function and manual dexterity were maintained in hot conditions, suggesting that operating in approximately 31°C heat is a safe approach for patient treatment. However, job burnout, which is positively correlated with perceived workload, and the impact of cumulative fatigue on the mental health of surgery staff, must be considered in the context of supporting an effective health workforce.
提高手术室环境温度是烧伤手术中常见的做法,以维持患者的核心体温;然而,在实际环境中,手术时处于高温环境对手术人员认知功能、手灵巧度和感知工作量的影响尚未得到评估。因此,本研究旨在评估烧伤手术中高温对工作人员认知功能、手灵巧度和感知测量(工作量、热感觉、热舒适、感知用力和疲劳)以及生理参数(核心体温、心率、液体流失和脱水)的实时影响。在 CON(24.0±1.1°C,45±6%相对湿度[RH])和 HOT(30.8±1.6°C,39±7% RH)烧伤手术中评估了 10 名烧伤手术工作人员(平均手术时间 150 分钟)。在手术前后记录认知表现、手灵巧度和感知测量,而生理参数在整个手术过程中记录。HOT 条件并没有显著影响手灵巧度或认知功能(p >.05),然而 HOT 导致热应激(心率、核心体温和液体流失增加:p <.05),与 CON 条件相比,主观工作量、不适、感知用力和疲劳增加(p <.05)。在高温条件下,认知功能和手灵巧度保持不变,这表明在约 31°C 的高温下进行手术是一种安全的患者治疗方法。然而,与感知工作量呈正相关的职业倦怠,以及累积疲劳对手术人员心理健康的影响,必须在支持有效的卫生人力队伍的背景下加以考虑。