Red cabin lights impair air medical crew performance of color-dependent tasks.
BACKGROUND
Red cabin lighting is often used for nighttime patient transports in helicopters. This study was conducted to determine if red lighting results in impairment of color-dependent tasks.


METHODS
An emergency medical services pilot adjusted red lighting in a BO-105 cabin to maximum acceptable intensity. Thirteen emergency room residents were shown positive and negative CO2 detectors and skin-colored and cyan-tinted rubber masks; percentages of correctly identified masks and detectors were noted. Subjects also read drug name and amount from 12 medication labels. Wilcoxon analysis (p = 0.05) was used to compare label reading accuracy between two groups: control (black/white lettering/background) and red (red lettering or background).


RESULTS
Percentages of accurately identified masks and detectors in the red light setting were as follows: normal mask 61.5%, cyanotic mask 30.8%, negative and positive CO2 detectors 46.2%. Ability to correctly read medication labeling was significantly (p = 0.003) greater in control (76.9 +/- 10.9%) as compared to red groups (16.3 +/- 13.4%).


CONCLUSIONS
Red cabin lighting appears to impair performance of certain critical tasks requiring color discernment. Consideration of this by medical crews working under red light conditions could reduce risk for patient-care errors.
East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, USA.
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Hightower
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Thomas
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Stone
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Brinkley
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Brown
D017732:Air Ambulances; D001359:Aviation / Q000295:instrumentation; D003116:Color; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians; D008029:Lighting / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009551:Night Care; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014187:Transportation of Patients; D014481:United States; D014796:Visual Perception; D000078329:Workforce