Safer anaesthetic rooms: Human factors/ergonomics analysis of work practices

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse the design of anaesthetic rooms using human factors and ergonomics (HFE) methods. The methods used were hierarchical task analysis, link analysis and anthropometry. The study found several latent design errors which negatively affected drug and patient preparation tasks. Recommendations include anaesthetic room layout design modifications and system level changes. HFE principles provide generic recommendations but specific design details may not be generalizable. Further research is needed to explore the implementation of system changes.

Keywords: Anaesthesia; Design errors; Ergonomics; Human factors.