Precautions in the Operating Room during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Corona is a respiratory virus that can cause death as well as many complications in recovering patients. Preventive and control measures to protect people who are exposed to the corona virus and contract it depend on the type of work performed and the risk of exposure to infected people and contamination of the workplace. Due to the non-necessity of performing non-emergency surgeries and taking precautionary measures for patients who are candidates for surgery and whose corona test is positive, various cases should be considered by the staff during the surgery. To prevent and manage aerosol dispersion, it is better to use a device for suctioning aerosol smoke during surgery, whether in open or closed surgeries (laparoscopy). Keywords: COVID-19, Operating room, Protocols, Surger

Factors affecting burnout in Iranian health care workers during COVID-19: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: Working through the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed Health Care Workers to physical and psychological risks that can result in a broad range of mental health problems, including burnout. The aim of the present study was to investigate factors affecting burnout in Iranian Health Care Workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying the principal factors affecting burnout will assist efforts to prepare for, and, prevent harm, to staff participating in future healthcare emergencies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review of scientific literature using the PRISMA guideline was completed, and included literature published from January 2020 until December 2021. The articles related to burnout in Iranian Health Care Workers during COVID-19 were obtained through Google Scholar, SID, Magiran Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases using related keywords. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the obtained data. RESULTS: 203 articles were identified through an initial search and finally, 14 studies were entered into the analysis. Based on the literature review, the principal factors affecting burnout were divided into 2 main themes and 4 subthemes. The themes included human factors, and organizational factors, and the sub-themes included individual characteristics, psychosocial factors, occupational conditions, and training. CONCLUSIONS: Individual and psychosocial characteristics have important effects on burnout among Health Care Workers and this can cause negative flow-on effects on the quality of life of these workers, and the quality of medical services. The prevalence of burnout is relatively higher among medical practitioners and nurses, and it is important to enhance coping resources and health education activities that support the resilience of these clinicians in the challenging and stressful context of a pandemic

Precautions in the Operating Room during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Corona is a respiratory virus that can cause death as well as many complications in recovering patients. Preventive and control measures to protect people who are exposed to the corona virus and contract it depend on the type of work performed and the risk of exposure to infected people and contamination of the workplace. Due to the non-necessity of performing non-emergency surgeries and taking precautionary measures for patients who are candidates for surgery and whose corona test is positive, various cases should be considered by the staff during the surgery. To prevent and manage aerosol dispersion, it is better to use a device for suctioning aerosol smoke during surgery, whether in open or closed surgeries (laparoscopy)

Relationship between citizenship behavior and adaptive performance with organizational loyalty of nurses working in Valiasr hospital in Borujen

Background & Aim: Nurses' organizational loyalty to health systems plays an important role in expanding organizational performance. Investigating the role of factors such as citizenship behaviors and adaptive performance can be helpful in this regard. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between citizenship behavior and adaptive performance with organizational loyalty in nurses. Methods & Materials: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 on 200 nurses working in Valiasr hospital affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in Borujen, and were selected by the random sampling method. A demographic information form, the Lee & Allen’s citizenship behavior questionnaire, the Charbonnier-Voirin and Roussel’s adaptive performance scale, and the Kumar and Shekhar’s organizational loyalty questionnaire were used to collect the data. The data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical tests using the SPSS software version 16. Results: The Pearson's correlation coefficient indicated a significant positive correlation between citizenship behavior and adaptive performance with organizational loyalty (P<0.05). Regression tests showed that citizenship behavior (ADJ.R2=0.199) and adaptive performance (ADJ.R2=0.131) significantly predicted organizational loyalty. All dimensions of citizenship behavior and some dimensions of adaptive performance such as creativity, learning efforts and job stress management can predict organizational loyalty in nurses. The average scores for citizenship behavior (66.85±18.26), adaptive performance (68.76±16.98) and organizational loyalty (120.67±24.09) were reported to be moderate. Conclusion: Managers and planners should pay attention to factors such as creativity, stress management, and continuing education along with improving healthy working relationships and nurses’ participation, which can play an important role in expanding organizational loyalty through the development of citizenship behavior and adaptive performance

The role of coping strategies in the academic engagement of students in Bushehr University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Coping strategies are a set of cognitive and behavioral efforts that are employed to interpret and modify a stressful situation. For students, it seems appropriate to employ coping strategies, which seems to be an important factor for academic achievement. Therefore, this study endeavored to examine the relationship between coping strategies and academic engagement in students of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences in 2017. Methods: This correlational study was performed with 232 undergraduate students of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences through relative stratified random sampling. The instruments were three questionnaires of demographic information and academic achievement of Frederick Bloomfield, as well as a short scale of coping with Andrew Parker's stress conditions. Data analysis was done through independent t-test and Pearson test within the significance level of 0.05. Results: The average age of students was 21.75± 2.72 and most of them were single (86%). The mean score of students' academic motivation was 51/0 2/79 0/51 and the mean score of coping strategies was 2.99 0.43. It was found that there is a direct and significant relationship between the score of coping strategy and the score of academic motivation (p=0. 001). Conclusion: The results reveled that the variable of academic engagement is of special importance in predicting coping strategies in students. As a result, guiding students in the right direction could have positive educational consequences

Investigating the Effect of Virtual Professional Ethics Training on the Communication Skills of Operating Room Staff

Background and Aim: Communication skills are considered as the most important feature required for health care workers and provide the basis for the development of professional ethics. Since working in the operating room requires team effort and establishing communication between team members, the importance of communication skills in operating room nurses is more visible. Therefore, in the present study was performed, with the aim of determining the effect of virtual training on the principles of professional ethics on communication skills of operating room staff of Ayatollah Kashani and Hajar hospitals of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study with a single-group plan before and after in 2020 was performed on 35 operating room staff of Kashani and Hajar teaching hospitals in Shahrekord who were selected by random sampling. Demographic information questionnaire and Queen Dam communication skills questionnaire were used to collect the data. Data analysis was performed by SPSS software using independent t test, Analysis of variance, paired t-test and ANOVA statistics. Results: Paired t-test showed that the mean of communication skills after the intervention was significantly different from before (P.0.05). Also, there was no significant difference in the average of communication skills according to the variables of gender, marital status, field of study and degree (P>0.05). Conclusion: The present study showed that professional ethics training was able to improve the communication skills of employees. Therefore, it seems necessary to compile virtual professional ethics training for health care providers and other groups providing health services who do not have enough time to participate in face-to-face classes. According to the results obtained, managers of health systems are recommended to use strategies such as holding workshops on the principles of professional ethics to develop communication skills in their employees

Important guidelines for surgery in COVID-19 pandemic; a review study

Background: In the case of COVID-19 pandemic and the risks of transmitting the disease to other people in the hospital environment, and the need to performing some surgeries, implementing preventive measures in operating rooms should be seriously considered. The aim of this study was to investigate the important surgical instructions during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a systematic review study in which data were collected by searching PubMed, Scopus, and Scientific Information Database (SID) databases and Google Scholar search engine with the keywords Corona, COVID 19, operating room, and surgery. Inclusion criteria of articles included published in 2020 and 2021, original articles, English language, and having the keywords in the title or abstract. By applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, out of 100 articles and selected sites, 54 articles were selected, and after the second review by another researcher, 29 articles completely related to the subject were reviewed and analyzed. Findings: Some of the most important points during the COVID-19 pandemic in the operating room space is to reduce the number of elective surgeries, correct use of personal protective equipment by the surgical team in the operating room, use of a small port to prevent gas leakage and low insufflation pressure in laparoscopic surgery, use of disposable moisturizing filter in the operating room environment for better ventilation, use of disposable airway and video laryngoscope by anesthesiologist, and increasing the frequency of ventilation more than 25 times per hour between surgeries. Conclusion: It is necessary to install provided instructions in the operating room, and the operating room supervisors have close monitor over its proper implementation

Comparing the Need for Recovery in the Operating Room Practitioners with and Without Covid-19 Infection History

Background: Healthcare staff are at the heart of the covid-19 pandemic and play an important role in controlling this disease. Operating room practitioners could be contaminated by a coronavirus, which imposes a high pressure on them, affecting their need for recovery from work. This study aimed to compare the need for recovery in the operating room practitioners with and without covid-19 infection history. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the operating room department of a public hospital on 217 operating room practitioners, including Operating room technicians, anaesthesiologists, and service staff. The data collection tools were a demographics questionnaire and the need for recovery scale. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis. Results: The mean and standard deviation of the need for recovery score in the studied population were 71.30±21.40. The practitioners with covid-19 infection history had a significantly higher need for recovery (P=0.001) than those without covid-19 history. In addition, the service staff had a higher percentage of covid-19 infection and had more need for recovery than operating room technicians (P=0.014). Conclusion: The operating room practitioners with a history of covid-19 infection had a significantly higher need for recovery than those without a history of infection. Therefore, protecting the operating room practitioners against covid-19 infection is the first step in preventing the excessive need for recovery levels. In addition, increasing the number of operating room staff, reducing the number of working hours, and paying more attention to their work-life quality can help reduce their need for recovery. © 2022 The authors