Effectiveness of Safety Training on Knowledge and Practice of Operating Room Personnel Regarding Fire Prevention

Background and Objectives: Fire is an inherent and permanent risk in the health settings and the prevention of it in the operating room require the knowledge of risks and effective communication among the staffs. Thus the purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge and the practice of the operating room staff about fire prevention and the relevant effectiveness of safety training. Methods: This quasi-experimental intervention was carried out by involving 64 staff in the operating room from 5 hospitals in Khuzestan province (southwest of Iran). Sampling was done randomly for the case and the control groups. After matching the samples based on age, work experience, and previous training, the case group was trained on fire management, and compared with the control group. The collected data were analyzed by paired and independent t tests. Findings: The mean of the awareness and performance in the case group before the intervention were found to be 2.6 and 3.93, respectively and after the intervention, 3.1 and 3.9, respectively. This difference was statistically significant for awareness (P < 0.05) but insignificant for the practice (P > 0.05). While there was no significant difference in the knowledge of the case and control groups before the intervention (P > 0.05), after the intervention, a significant difference appeared (P < 0.05). The performance of the study groups showed no significant difference before and after the intervention (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Our results show that safety training has potentially positive impact on knowledge and practice of operating room personnel, regarding fire management.