Ergonomics in the anaesthetic workplace: Guideline from the Association of Anaesthetists.

Ergonomics in relation to anaesthesia is the scientific study of the interaction between anaesthetists and their workspace environment in order to promote safety, performance and well-being. The foundation for avoiding pain or discomfort at work is to adopt and maintain a good posture, whether sitting or standing. Anaesthetists should aim to keep their posture as natural and neutral as possible. The successful practice of anaesthesia relies on optimisation of ergonomics and lack of attention to detail in this area is associated with impaired performance. The anaesthetic team should wear comfortable clothing, including appropriately-sized personal protective equipment where necessary. Temperature, humidity and light should be adequate at all times. The team should comply with infection prevention and control guidelines and monitoring as recommended by the Association of Anaesthetists. Any equipment or machinery that is mobile should be positioned where it is easy to view or reach without having to change the body or head position significantly when interacting with it. Patients who are supine should, whenever possible, be raised upwards to limit the need to lean towards them. Any item required during a procedure should be positioned on trays or trolleys that are close to the dominant hand. Pregnancy affects the requirements for standing, manually handling, applying force when operating equipment or moving machines and the period over which the individual might have to work without a break. Employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate disability in the workplace. Any member of staff with a physical impairment needs to be accommodated and this includes making provision for a wheelchair user who needs to enter the operating theatre and perform their work.

Guidelines on suicide amongst anaesthetists 2019.

Anaesthetists are thought to be at increased risk of suicide amongst the medical profession. The aims of the following guidelines are: increase awareness of suicide and associated vulnerabilities, risk factors and precipitants; to emphasise safe ways to respond to individuals in distress, both for them and for colleagues working alongside them; and to support individuals, departments and organisations in coping with a suicide.

Upper limb disorders in anaesthetists - a survey of Association of Anaesthetists members.

Upper limb disorders (affecting the hand, arm and neck) are common. The nature of anaesthetists' work poses a potential extra risk from poor posture that may contribute to the development of upper limb disorders in this professional group. However, to date, the problem has received scant attention in the literature. Following a 2 to 3-month period of publicity via newsletter, email and social media, all 10,231 electronically accessible members of the Association of Anaesthetists were invited by email to complete an online survey that was administered by a third-party company. A total of 3884 usable responses were received (38%). Analysis of possible risk factors found a significant association between upper limb disorders and years since starting anaesthetic training, having children (irrespective of respondents' sex or the number of children) and right-handedness. Years of practice and having children are less modifiable identified risk factors. However, right-handedness may be linked to the ergonomic design of the environment/equipment used within this specialty and may thus be a potentially modifiable risk factor worthy of further investigation.

Pre-placement psychological status and staff retention in a call centre.

BACKGROUND: There is a general lack of studies on staff retention and mental health status at the beginning of or prior to employment in call centres. AIMS: To evaluate the relationship between psychological status at the beginning of employment and staff retention after 6 months of employment. METHODS: The psychological well-being of new starters was evaluated using a questionnaire and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Early leavers were identified through a second survey performed 6 months later. RESULTS: Out of a cohort of 135 new starters, all of the 100 randomly selected employees returned their questionnaires. By the second round of the survey 6 months later, 30 employees had left. There was no significant difference between the BDI scores of leavers and those who remained in the company. Binary logistic regression showed no significant associations between leaving the company and gender, previous history of mental health diagnosis and history of mental health treatment. However, there was a significant association between age (25 or over) and leaving the company within the first 6 months of employment (odds ratio [OR] = 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-6.01; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Previous mental health conditions or psychological status at the beginning of employment did not appear to contribute significantly to call centre employees leaving within 6 months. Further similar studies in other occupational sectors are recommended.

Occupational lung disease survey of respiratory physicians in Northern Ireland.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory physicians are likely to encounter occupational lung disease (OLD) in their daily practice. AIMS: To assess the profile of cases being encountered by general respiratory physicians in Northern Ireland (NI) and determine satisfaction with training, confidence in diagnosis and management of OLD. METHODS: An online survey of all consultant respiratory physicians currently practising in NI. Questions assessed the numbers of new cases seen over the preceding year, case type, satisfaction with specialist registrar training in OLD and degree of confidence in the diagnosis and management of these conditions. RESULTS: Of the 40 consultants identified, the response rate was 80% (n = 32) with 94% of respondents (n = 30) indicating they had dealt with patients suspected of having occupation-related respiratory symptoms. The most commonly encountered OLDs were pleural plaques (91% of respondents), occupational asthma (88%), asbestosis (84%), non-asbestosis pulmonary fibrosis (76%), hypersensitivity pneumonitis (67%) and mesothelioma (66%). Just over one third of consultants (36%, n = 10) indicated a lack of confidence in diagnosis and management of OLD with almost half (48%) dissatisfied with OLD training as a registrar and a further 78% (n = 25) indicating they would value additional training in OLD as a consultant. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of respiratory consultants in NI encountered OLD in their day to day practice and half were dissatisfied with their specialist registrar training in OLD and express a lack of confidence in the diagnosis and management of these conditions. This highlights the need for additional training at both registrar and consultant level.