Preferred Terms and Icons for Labels on Electrosurgical Units: Survey of VA Nurses

Abstract Electrosurgical units (ESUs) developed by different manufacturers use varying terminology and icons to label the same components, which can result in confusion among users and the potential for erroneous ESU configuration. The objective of the current study was to identify nurse-preferred terms and icons for labeling ESU components. A total of 165 operating room (OR) nurses from Veterans Health Administration facilities across the United States were surveyed regarding terms and icons found on 25 ESU models. The results showed that 81% of OR nurses preferred ESUs that included both a term and an icon for labeling each component. In addition, greater consensus existed among OR nurses regarding preferred terms, rather than preferred icons, for representing each component. These findings on OR nurses' preferred terms and icons can be leveraged to improve ESU labeling practices and inform the development of a standardized, user-centered set of labels for ESU components.