At Risk Safety Behaviors of the Perioperative Nursing Team: A Direct Observational Study

Background: The operating room setting has unique workforce hazards and extremely high ergonomic demands due to patient lifting/positioning requirements, long periods of standing, and the heavy equipment and supplies that are needed for surgical procedures. Despite worker safety policies, injuries among registered nurses are increasing. Most of the research on the ergonomic safety of nurses is conducted utilizing survey methodology, which may not provide accurate data. It is imperative to understand the at-risk safety behaviors that perioperative nurses face if we are to design interventions to prevent injury. Methods: Two perioperative nurses were directly observed during 60 different operating room surgical procedures (n = 120 different nurses). Data were collected utilizing the job safety behavioral observation process (JBSO), which is designed specifically for the operating room environment. Results: There were 82 total at-risk behaviors observed amongst the 120 perioperative nurses. More specifically, 13 (11%) of the surgical procedures had at least one perioperative nurse observed in a position of at-risk behavior, and a total of 15 (12.5%) individual perioperative nurses performed at least one at-risk behavior. Conclusion: More attention must be placed on the safety of the perioperative nurse if we are to retain a healthy, productive workforce to provide the highest quality patient care.