Nurses' assessment of working conditions in the operating theater

In the work of nurses within an operating suite, there are many determinants conditioning the effective and safe work of scrub nurses during surgical procedures. Safety and quality of care depend on the organizational efficiency of scrub nurses in an operating room. The aim of this study was to identify and understand the factors influencing the work of nurses within the operating suite.The study included 180 nurses working in operating rooms in various hospitals in Poland. It was conducted using a diagnostic survey method with an author-constructed questionnaire. Results: A total of 75.6% of nurses in the study chose to work within the operating suite according to their interests. Additionally, 72.8% preferred moderate physical activity after work (walking, swimming, cycling, gymnastics), while 18.3% preferred passive activities such as reading books, watching television, and sleeping. The majority of respondents (70.0%) considered that the principles of ergonomics at work were observed at a mediocre level, more rarely at a low level (18.9%), and at a high level (11.1%). A large group of nurses (46.1%) considered that breaks at work were not observed, or observed only 'sometimes' (32.8%). Breaks at work were insufficient for physical and mental regeneration (51.7%). Organizational problems occurred mainly at a mediocre level (59.4%) and at a high level (32.8%). Conflicts in surgical teams occurred rarely (55.0%) and frequently (3.7%). The main causes of conflicts were miscommunication (35.6%), overfatigue (29.4%), and unhealthy competition (18.6%).The nurses in the study worked in operating rooms mainly according to their interests and preferred active forms of leisure after work. The vast majority of them considered that the principles of ergonomics within the operating suite were not always observed, and statutory breaks were not in accordance with the regulations. The respondents reported organizational problems such as nurse staffing shortages and conflicts in surgical teams. The causes of conflicts were recognized as miscommunication within the team, employee overload, unhealthy competition, high levels of stress during surgical procedures, equipment failure, and equipment shortages.