The Effect of Windows and Daylight on Depression and Burnout Syndrome in Operating Room Workers

Background: This research aims to investigate how the presence of natural light and windows in the oper-ating room environment affects burnout syndrome and depression, which are common in employees. Materials and Methods: The prospective and multicenter study was conducted in two different hospitals with and without windows in the operating rooms after ethics committee approval. The participants were anesthesiologists, nurses, and anesthesia technicians who spent all their shifts in the operating room environment. The participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire, the first part inquired about socio-demographic data of the participants, the second part included the Beck Depression Inventory, which measured their depression levels, and finally the third part comprised the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which determined the burnout levels of participants. Results: The study included individuals working in operating rooms with (92) and without (97) windows. The participants were doctors (28.05%), nurses (29.55%) and technicians (42.35%). Of the participants, 95.85% answered yes to the question ‘‘should there be windows in the work environment?” The deper-sonalization and emotional exhaustion levels on the Maslach Burnout Inventory were significantly lower in individuals working in operating rooms with windows. The Beck Depression Inventory results of indi-viduals working in hospitals with windows were significantly lower than those in hospitals without win-dows. Conclusions: Designing operating rooms in hospitals to receive daylight reduces the rate of burnout syn-drome and depression. This will increase the work performance and efficiency of healthcare professionals working in operating rooms and will also reduce the possibility of medical errors.