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Review
. 2023 Oct 25:8:100234.
doi: 10.1016/j.bjao.2023.100234. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Refocusing on work-based hazards for the anaesthesiologist in a post-pandemic era

Olivia Nelson  1   2 , Eric Greenwood  3   4 , Allan F Simpao  1   2 , Clyde T Matava  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Refocusing on work-based hazards for the anaesthesiologist in a post-pandemic era

Olivia Nelson et al. BJA Open. .

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has raised public awareness of one of the many hazards that healthcare workers face daily: exposure to harmful pathogens. The anaesthesia workplace encompasses the operating room, interventional radiology suite, and other sites that contain many other potential occupational and environmental hazards. This review article highlights the work-based hazards that anaesthesiologists and other clinicians may encounter in the anaesthesia workplace: ergonomic design, physical, chemical, fire, biological, or psychological hazards. As the anaesthesia work environment enters a post-COVID-19 pandemic phase, anaesthesiologists will do well to review and consider these hazards. The current review includes proposed solutions to some hazards and identifies opportunities for future research.

Keywords: anaesthesia; biomedical hazards; environment; fire; personal protection equipment; safety; work-based hazards.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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