The examination of problems experienced by nurses and doctors associated with exposure to surgical smoke and the necessary precautions

Aims and objectives This study aims to investigate the problems experienced by nurses and doctors as a result of exposure to surgical smoke and the precautions that need to be taken. Background Electrosurgery is carried out in almost all operating rooms, and all of those who work in these rooms are exposed to surgical smoke, especially doctors and nurses. A review of the literature reveals that there are very few studies that have been carried out on surgical smoke, and there are no studies researched on the problems experienced by those working in operating rooms. Design This descriptive study was conducted between April and June 2015. Methods The study was carried out in the operating rooms of Training and Research Hospital with 81 nurses and doctors. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 23 (Windows), Hacettepe University, Ankara. Results The problems experienced by the nurses and doctors as a result of exposure to surgical smoke included: headache (nurses: 48·9%, doctors: 58·3%), watering of the eyes (nurses: 40·0%, doctors: 41·7%), cough (nurses: 48·9%, doctors: 27·8%), sore throat, bad odours absorbed in the hair, nausea, drowsiness, dizziness, sneezing and rhinitis. Regarding the precautions taken to protect themselves from surgical smoke, 91·1% of the nurses and 86·1% of the doctors reported using surgical masks. Conclusions It was found that they did not report taking any effective protective measures, and only a few of the nurses reported using special filtration masks. It was observed that the participants widely used surgical masks, which are ineffective in protecting from the effects of surgical smoke. Relevance to clinical practice Attention brought to the effects of surgical smoke. Presentation of the harmful effects of surgical smoke reported by doctors and nurses. Identification of the precautions that can be taken against surgical smoke.