Background: Anesthesia providers are subjected to chemical, biological, physical, ergonomic, and psychosocial risk factors that threaten the individual's health. While pregnancy alone is not considered an independent risk factor for healthcare-associated occupational hazards, the fetus is rapidly developing and thus carries a much lower threshold to hazardous exposure than the adult.

Purpose: To evaluate participants’ confidence levels related to their knowledge of environmental considerations for the pregnant anesthetist before and after implementing a self-paced online course presenting the findings from a review of the literature.

Methods: Voluntary participants from a Midwest DNP nurse anesthesia program were invited to partake in a self-paced online course which included a pre- and post-assessment to evaluate confidence level related to the subject matter and its application into practice. Conclusion: Confidence levels in the participants' knowledge of the environmental risks for anesthesia personnel and pregnant anesthesia providers increased by 36.4% following implementation of literature review findings summarized into self-paced online course.

Creator

• Rossetter, Teresa

Language

• English

Keyword

• anesthesia

• anesthesia care providers

• staff safety

• anesthetic gases

• anesthesiology

• cognitive function impairment

• environmental pollutants

• exposure controls

• fetal development

• genomic instability

• hospital workers

Date created

• 2023

Resource type

• Research Paper

Rights statement

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/