Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management最新文献

{"title":"Analysis of the effect of ergonomic factors on the performance of the operating room team with ANP","authors":"Şeyda Gür","doi":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>The unit with the largest share of income and expense items in hospitals is the operating rooms. Therefore, operating rooms are expressed as the most critical units of hospitals. The performance of the personnel working in these units is vital as it directly affects patient health. The inefficient organization of operating rooms poses ergonomic risks. These ergonomic difficulties cause illnesses or injuries in the surgical team. For healthcare professionals to provide the highest quality of care to patients, their physical health should not be overlooked. Additionally, a poor work-life balance within the surgical team can lead to burnout and negatively impact the quality of life. Therefore, this study addresses the effect of ergonomic factors in operating rooms on the performance of the surgical team.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In the study, eleven sub-criteria were identified through a literature review and an expert group, and these criteria were subsequently evaluated using the Analytical Network Process (ANP) method, a multi-criteria decision-making approach.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>It has been determined that the most important ergonomic factor affecting the performance of the surgical team is the working conditions criterion.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Suggestions were made based on the results obtained from the evaluation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53468,"journal":{"name":"Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100530"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144686225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nurses' views on patient privacy in the operating room environment: Phenomenological research","authors":"Dilek Talhaoğlu","doi":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100532","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100532","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Aim</h3><div>This study aims to evaluate the views of nurses working in the operating room regarding patient privacy.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The research is a qualitative study and phenomenological research was used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 nurses working in the operating room unit of a university hospital in Central Anatolia between August and October 2024. The data were analyzed by content analysis method and categorized under the determined themes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>When the qualitative data of the study were evaluated, 6 themes and 31 sub-themes were identified under the titles of “Definition of Privacy”, “Private Information”, “Violation of Privacy”, “Protection of Physical Privacy”, “Transfer Process” and “Suggestions on Protection of Privacy”. The study revealed that nurses associate patient privacy with elements such as personal information, the body, and the diagnosis and treatment process. It also indicated that nurses face various challenges in maintaining privacy during patient transfers and surgical preparation. Nurses emphasized that privacy is not only limited to physical privacy, but it is also important to protect personal information.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>In the study, it was concluded that nurses care about patient privacy, but they cannot provide privacy at the desired level due to challenges such as workload, empathy gaps, teamwork problems and inadequate training. .</div></div><div><h3>Implications for Clinical Practice</h3><div>This study fills an important gap in clinical practice by revealing the current situation and challenges regarding the protection of patient privacy in the operating room environment. Violation of patient privacy can carry serious risks in terms of patient safety and ethical standards. The study provides important clinical recommendations to improve patient care quality and safety by emphasizing the need to strengthen ethical training for nurses and other healthcare professionals, to establish structured systems in operating room processes, and to increase communication within the team.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53468,"journal":{"name":"Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100532"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144704873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the perceived impact of the National Audit Project 6 (NAP6) recommendations on practice within perioperative anaphylaxis: A qualitative study","authors":"Sigrún Eyrúnardóttir Clark ,&nbsp;Gráinne Brady ,&nbsp;Zoe Brummell ,&nbsp;Andrew D. Kane ,&nbsp;Anna Littlejohns ,&nbsp;Iain Moppett ,&nbsp;Suneetha Ramani Moonesinghe ,&nbsp;Tim Cook ,&nbsp;Cecilia Vindrola-Padros","doi":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100528","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100528","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Patient safety within perioperative care is significant due to the potential for major complications requiring a rapid response. The Royal College of Anaesthetists’ National Audit Projects (NAPs) have sought to improve patient safety by investigating serious and rare complications occurring during anaesthesia. The sixth NAP (NAP6), focused on perioperative anaphylaxis, and produced 134 recommendations. Staff perceptions of the impact of NAP6 recommendations have not been studied, which was the purpose of this research.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 21 healthcare professionals across three teaching hospitals in England and with five stakeholders who could share a national perspective. A documentary analysis was conducted with departmental and institutional documents associated with the training for, and management of perioperative anaphylaxis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Examples of perceived impact included: raised awareness on the main culprits of perioperative anaphylaxis, and awareness to consider an event as anaphylaxis; changes in referrals of patients to allergy clinics; increased penicillin allergy de-labelling initiatives; better communication with healthcare professionals and patients; alerts to remind staff on recommended care; and updates to national guidelines. Limited access to allergy clinics; the need for further penicillin allergy de-labelling; the lack of accountability for implementing recommendations; misalignment between disciplines; difficulties removing incorrect allergy labels; and access to launch events were highlighted as areas for improvement in implementation. Whilst access to allergy clinics; good relationships with stakeholders in the field; hospitals engaged with quality improvement initiatives; and the perioperative allergy network were recognised as enablers to implementation.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Future areas for consideration based on the perspectives shared by interviewees include improving access to allergy testing, enhancing penicillin allergy de-labelling initiatives, and sharing guidance on how to implement the recommendations (including funding).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53468,"journal":{"name":"Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100528"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144685497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the impact of combined deep serratus anterior and superficial parasternal blocks on postoperative outcomes in nipple-sparing mastectomy: A retrospective, exploratory study","authors":"Carmine Cavallo ,&nbsp;Antonio Mastrandrea ,&nbsp;Antonio Romanelli ,&nbsp;Maria Lamberti ,&nbsp;Antonio Spadino ,&nbsp;Renato Gammaldi","doi":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100527","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100527","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Single-centre, retrospective, and exploratory study. We evaluated the effectiveness of combining the deep serratus anterior plane block (dSAPB) and superficial parasternal block (sPSB) for managing postoperative pain in patients undergoing nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) with skin expander placement under general anesthesia (GA). We analyzed the relationships with postoperative pain, the need for rescue doses, early postoperative mobilization, and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We included patients scheduled for elective NSM with skin expander placement. Patients performed regional anesthesia (dSAPB+sPSB before GA) were compared vs. standard of care (SoC, post-operative pain management with morphine plus ketorolac) group. We tested differences using the Chi-square test for categorical variables and Student's <em>t</em>-test or Mann-Whitney test for continuous variables. To evaluate the relationships between anesthesiologic management and outcomes (24 h postoperative pain, rescue dose administration [ketorolac 30 mg], PONV, and early mobilization), we performed univariate logistic regression. Odds ratios (OR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI_{95 %}) were computed. All tests were conducted with α=0.05. A p-value &lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The analysis was based on 31 patients. Patients in the regional group (19 patients) reported a significant reduction in the median of worst NRS (<em>P</em> = 0.0076), with a low percentage of patients reporting moderate pain (NRS 4–6, 5.3 % vs 50.0 % for SoC, -44.7 %, CI_{95 %} -81.5- -7.9 %, <em>P</em> = 0.0132). Regional anesthesia significantly reduced the development of postoperative pain (OR 0.18, CI_{95 %} 0.03–0.81, <em>P</em> = 0.0321) and the need for rescue doses (OR 0.19, CI_{95 %} 0.03–0.89, <em>P</em> = 0.0412).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The combination of dSAPB+sPSB appeared to provide improved postoperative pain control compared to SoC. However, due to the limited sample size and retrospective design, these findings should be considered preliminary and hypothesis-generating. Further studies are warranted to determine whether this approach has an impact on PONV, early mobilization, and LOS.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53468,"journal":{"name":"Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100527"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144685495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A silent threat in the sterile space: Rethinking formalin use in iranian operating rooms","authors":"Samira Mahmoudi ,&nbsp;Armin Fereidouni ,&nbsp;Amirali Alizadeh","doi":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100526","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100526","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Formalin is still used as a sterilizing agent in Iranian operating rooms, despite well-established carcinogenic and respiratory risks. This letter highlights recent national data showing excessive formaldehyde exposure among OR personnel. It advocates for the urgent implementation of safer sterilization alternatives and updated national infection control policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53468,"journal":{"name":"Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100526"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144685496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bibliometric mapping of anemia in geriatric surgery","authors":"Kübra Can ,&nbsp;Seçil Taylan ,&nbsp;Barış Özdere ,&nbsp;Fatma Eti Aslan","doi":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100525","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100525","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>In this study, scientific literature on anemia in geriatric surgical patients was reviewed using bibliometric analysis. Trends, scientific collaborations, and research gaps were identified.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>On March 1, 2025, 640 articles were included in the analysis after searching the Web of Science database using MeSH terms such as \"geriatrics,” \"elderly,” \"surgery,” \"anaemia\" “anemia”. Bibliometric evaluation was performed using the Biblioshiny interface. Publication years, authors, journals, keywords, countries, and collaborations were analyzed.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 3376 authors took part in 640 articles published between 1984 and 2025. The average number of citations per article was 9.54. BMJ Case Reports and International Journal of Surgery Case Reports had the highest number of publications. According to Keywords Plus analysis, the most common terms were \"management\", \"surgery\", \"mortality\" and \"diagnosis\".</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>This study examined the literature on anemia in elderly surgical patients using a bibliometric method and analyzed the research trends, collaborations, and knowledge structure in this field using the Web of Science database. This study highlighted the negative effects of anemia on surgical outcomes, identified gaps in the literature, and provided recommendations for future research. These findings provide a comprehensive assessment of the field in accordance with the interdisciplinary and complex nature of the subject.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Key dynamics and gaps in the field were identified. In particular, significant research gaps were identified, including a lack of international collaboration, inadequate multidisciplinary approaches, and limited publications in some thematic areas (e.g., frailty and blood transfusion protocols). These findings can guide future, more comprehensive, and collaborative studies targeting these gaps.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53468,"journal":{"name":"Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100525"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144680686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Randomized triple-blind study of dexmedetomidine and remifentanil for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography","authors":"Ahmed Uslu ,&nbsp;Nedim Çekmen ,&nbsp;Damla Usalan ,&nbsp;Begüm Nemika Gökdemir ,&nbsp;Ahmet Sedat Boyacıoğlu","doi":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100524","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100524","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The safety profiles, efficacy, and complication rates of remifentanil and dexmedetomidine for sedation during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were investigated.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Eighty-two patients undergoing elective endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were randomly assigned to the dexmedetomidine group (Group Dex, <em>n</em> = 39) or the remifentanil group (Group Remi, <em>n</em> = 43). The primary outcome was the incidence of complications and agitation-sedation level during recovery. Hemodynamic variables, adverse events, nausea-vomiting status, amount of propofol consumed, patient, gastroenterologist, and anesthetic clinician satisfaction scores, sedation levels, and discharge times were also compared.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The incidence of complications was significantly lower in the dexmedetomidine group compared to the remifentanil group (<em>P</em> = 0.0115). The incidence of oxygen desaturation was significantly lower in the dexmedetomidine group (<em>P</em> = 0.0409). Mean RASS scores at 5 min post-procedure in the recovery unit were significantly higher in the remifentanil group (<em>P</em> = 0.0054). There were no significant differences between the groups regarding mean arterial pressure, heart rate, nausea-vomiting status, or satisfaction scores of patients, gastroenterologists, and anesthesia clinicians (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). There were no significant differences in discharge times and agitation-sedation levels at discharge.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Dexmedetomidine was associated with fewer complications, particularly less oxygen desaturation, during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography compared to remifentanil. Moreover, the absence of a significant difference in recovery times and satisfaction levels suggests that dexmedetomidine may be superior to remifentanil in non-operating room anesthesia settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53468,"journal":{"name":"Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100524"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144581085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of ultrasound-guided residual gastric volume measurement between diabetic patients with autonomic neuropathy and non-diabetic patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia","authors":"Harinishaanth,&nbsp;Mahesh Vakamudi,&nbsp;Rajesh Kumar Kodali V,&nbsp;Aruna Parameswari","doi":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100522","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100522","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Pulmonary aspiration, the inhalation of gastric contents into the lungs, stands as one of the foremost causes of mortality and significant morbidity associated with general anaesthesia, highlighting its critical importance in perioperative care. Our study aims to compare gastric residual volume in patients with longstanding diabetes associated with autonomic neuropathy to that in non-diabetic patients. The study involved comparing ultrasound guided residual gastric volume measurements between diabetic and non-diabetic patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. Patients aged over 18 years, ASA grade I to II, with a history of diabetes for at least 8 years with diabetic autonomic neuropathy (diabetic group only) as Group A and non-`diabetics as Group B. Primary outcome was to measure Gastric residual volume between both the groups.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>There was a significant difference in age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and oxygen saturation (SPO2) levels between diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. Significant differences of anteroposterior, cranio-caudal diameter, cross sectional area and mean gastric residual volume in both semi-sitting and right lateral decubitus position between the diabetic and non-diabetics was significant. Gastric residual volume (GRV) was higher in diabetics (-157.36 vs. -170.44), with a mean difference of 13.1 (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) in semi-sitting position. Gastric residual volume (GRV) in right-lateral decubitus position showed a significant difference as well, with diabetics having a mean GRV of 16.71 compared to -11.03 in nondiabetics, a mean difference of 27.7 (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001)</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Patients with long standing diabetes with autonomic neuropathy have more gastric residual volume and as well larger anteroposterior, cranio-caudal diameters with larger antral cross-sectional areas than non-diabetic individuals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53468,"journal":{"name":"Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100522"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144587863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of patient privacy in perioperative care in the operating room of Be’sat hospital in Hamadan city","authors":"Ashkan karimi ,&nbsp;Jaber Zabihirad ,&nbsp;Behzad Imani ,&nbsp;Reza Feizi ,&nbsp;Ali Gharahzade ,&nbsp;Farzad Abaszadeh ,&nbsp;Reza Tavakkol","doi":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100523","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100523","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Adherence to a set of principles for patient rights, all defined in the form of professional ethics, is considered to be an essential aspect of health and safety issues, one of which is respecting patient privacy. Considering the special conditions of the operating room, maintaining privacy can improve the conditions before and after anesthesia of the patient. Accordingly, the present study aimed to examine the privacy of surgical patients admitted to the operating room of Be’sat Hospital in Hamedan.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 patients undergoing surgery at Be’sat Hospital in Hamedan in 2022. In order to evaluate the privacy of the patient, a researcher-made checklist was used, which included two sections \"demographic information and evaluation of the patient's privacy\". The privacy measurement section consisted of 36 items based on a two-choice response (Yes, No), and evaluated the patient's privacy in three stages: admission and transfer of the patient to the operating room, during surgery, and after the operation. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman correlation coefficient in SPSS ver. 22.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Most of the participants in this study were men (60 %), married (80 %), and aged 18–39 (36 %). The lowest score was observed upon admission and transfer to the operating room while the highest score was reported during surgery (in the operating room). A significant association was observed between patient privacy in different stages with gender, marriage, employment status, and type of surgical service (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The results of the present study revealed that the privacy of the operating room patients is high. This shows that maintaining the privacy of patients from the perspective of operating room personnel is of particular importance. If suitable solutions are provided by operating room and hospital managers to identify existing problems, patient satisfaction and the quality-of-care services can be improved.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53468,"journal":{"name":"Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100523"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144614665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An analysis of the economic challenges facing central sterile processing employees in the United States: Results of a national survey","authors":"Abner Mácola ,&nbsp;Naila Rocha ,&nbsp;Meaghan Kenfield ,&nbsp;Kevin Janek ,&nbsp;Weston Balch ,&nbsp;Justin Poulin ,&nbsp;Lindsay Brown ,&nbsp;Peter F. Nichol","doi":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pcorm.2025.100520","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study aims to examine the economic challenges facing sterile processing department (SPD) workers in the United States and their implications for the healthcare system. We investigated the socioeconomic factors affecting this essential workforce to identify inefficiencies and guide reforms that could improve healthcare sustainability and workforce wellbeing.</div></div><div><h3>Perspective</h3><div>The analysis was conducted from a societal perspective to consider the broader impact of SPD workforce challenges on healthcare system performance, worker financial health, and institutional sustainability.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A national cross-sectional survey was distributed via email to over 50,000 individuals affiliated with sterile processing. A total of 1056 responses were received. The survey included 51 questions covering demographic data, employment characteristics, financial health indicators, and job-related benefits. Data were analyzed using R version 4.4.2. Statistical analyses included multiple linear regression and analysis of variance to assess predictors of current wages and associations with demographic and professional variables.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of the 1056 respondents, 854 were based in the United States and 53 percent were SPD technicians. Most respondents reported stagnant wage progression and inadequate benefits. Unionized, vendor-employed, and contract technicians earned significantly higher wages than non-unionized counterparts. Older and more experienced workers held higher-wage positions. Debt was widespread across all income bands, with many reporting limited savings and a history of financial hardship. Regression analysis revealed that experience, starting salary, and job title were the strongest predictors of current wages. Inflation-adjusted analysis showed starting wages have not kept pace with the cost of living.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>SPD workers in the United States face considerable financial stress, with implications for workforce retention and healthcare efficiency. Systemic improvements including wage reform, workload management, and deployment of technology are needed to support this vulnerable sector. Addressing these economic challenges can enhance the long-term sustainability of the healthcare system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53468,"journal":{"name":"Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100520"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144557370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}