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Factors Affecting the Thermal Comfort of Perioperative Personnel in the OR
Author(s) -
Karahan Azize,
Budak Ertürk Elif,
Uğurlu Ziyafet,
Ünlü Hayriye,
Akovalı Nükhet,
Tepe Aylin,
Özhan Elbaş Nalan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
aorn journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1878-0369
pISSN - 0001-2092
DOI - 10.1002/aorn.12963
Subject(s) - thermal comfort , clothing , perioperative , perioperative nursing , work (physics) , medicine , engineering , mechanical engineering , surgery , physics , archaeology , history , thermodynamics
Thermal comfort is an important component of any work setting and can be difficult to achieve in the complex OR environment. This comparative descriptive study sought to identify factors affecting the thermal comfort of perioperative personnel in the OR (N = 68). Researchers used the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air‐Conditioning Engineers Thermal Sensation Scale and researcher‐developed surveys to collect data. The mean reported thermal comfort level was −0.44 (standard deviation 1.3), which is within acceptable parameters. Factors affecting thermal comfort were gender, professional role, and wearing additional clothing. Additionally, participants who complained about temperature or ventilation were less likely to report thermal comfort levels in the normal range. Health care facility leaders should consider the comfort needs of perioperative personnel when making purchasing decisions about ventilation systems and surgical clothing; however, they also should consider other factors (eg, surgeon comfort, permeability of protective clothing to blood and other body fluids).