Foreword

Hospitals take every care to ensure the safest possible environment for staff and patients, but there is one area which is often overlooked - noise. In the modern operating threatre, noise regularly exceeds recommended safe levels and puts staff and patients at risk.

Our opening article comes from Medela Healthcare who are leaders in the drive to produce quieter equipment. They highlight how noise pollution has become a serious health and safety hazard for surgeons, staff and patients.

Elsewhere in the Report, we look more deeply at the impact of noise pollution within the surgical environment. Increased noise adds to feelings of anxiety and leaves medical staff feeling fatigued. Worst of all, it creates distractions, making it difficult to communicate and increasing the risk of error.

The human impact is severe, but as Jo Roth discovers, the financial implications should not be underestimated. The biggest concern is obviously the risk to patient health, but Operating Room mistakes also cost money which health services can ill afford. Errors in the operating room contribute to rising litigation which is putting the financial sustainability of health services at risk.

For many reasons, therefore, noise pollution in the Operating Room should be treated as a major issue. In our final article, James Butler looks at some of the latest noise reduction strategies which address the problem, including staff education and ear protection. However, the biggest cause of serious noise pollution is equipment. Addressing this issue with new, quieter, devices will be crucial.

Technology is always moving forward. In the case of noise pollution, it is both the cause and the solution of the problem. It is the reason why noise often exceeds safe levels, but it also holds the key to producing a quieter environment in the future.

Tom Cropper Editor

Tom Cropper has produced articles and reports on various aspects of global business over the past 15 years. He has also worked as a copywriter for some of the largest corporations in the world, including ANZ Bank, ING and KPMG.