Diatermirök- Det perioperativa teamets arbetsmiljö
BackgroundDiathermy is the most commonly used surgical instrument in the surgical area today. Diathermy is used in surgery to cut and coagulate tissue. The use of diathermy releases chemical substances in to the environment in the form of diathermy smoke. Research shows that these chemical substances pose health risks to both staff and patient exposed to the smoke. To protect the interdisciplinary, perioperative team from the smoke, smoke evacuation systems can be used.ObjectiveThe purpose of the study is to highlight the work environment of the perioperative team when working with diathermy smoke.MethodThe study is meant to be implemented as an empirical descriptive sample survey. Data will be collected using a postal questionnaire. A pilot study was performed in order to test the design and layout of the questionnaire.ResultsThe pilot study showed that several factors influenced respondents' work environment. For example, the design and function of the smoke evacuation system, cost, personal preferences etc. The majority of the respondents lacked education about diathermy smoke and smoke evacuation systems, and was not aware if there were any procedures and guidelines regarding the smoke evacuation system at the workplace.ConclusionThe authors combine the perioperative team`s work environment with the importance of proper education, available procedures and guidelines, possibility of information retrieval during working hours, and the optimal design and operation of available smoke evacuation systems. The authors believe that these components create the pillars of what may create a work environment that reduces the health risks of diathermy smoke to a minimum. The authors believe that a large study could demonstrate this more clearly.