perioperative nursing assignment help

perioperative nursing assignment help

The Importance of Perioperative Nursing

1. Introduction to Perioperative Nursing

In a healthcare system which is increasingly adaptive to change, the perioperative care and environment has become more technologically complex. This is particularly evident following the advent of minimally invasive surgical techniques which are now becoming the norm. The ever-changing requirements of perioperative patients and the exacting nature of modern surgical practice demand a very high level of skill and knowledge on behalf of the perioperative nurse. Such competencies are combined with a compassionate and patient-centered approach to care delivery. Throughout history and prior to the surge of evidence-based practice, key nursing responsibilities such as wound care and the management of surgical pain remained consistent. However, as Marie-Rose et al. (2005) indicates, nurses in the perioperative environment are engaged in a wider variety of activities that require a greater range of knowledge to inform practice. Moreover, the realization of a need for specialization in perioperative nursing and the development of a distinct and specialized body of knowledge denotes the advancement made by this branch of nursing. The Faculty of Perioperative Care, a part of The Royal College of Surgeons of England, defines perioperative care to incorporate a 360-degree approach to the patient’s surgical journey. In their standards document, the faculty emphasizes clinical practice in the operating department to be all-encompassing across the whole theater department, from the administrative and organizational tasks to the practice and delivery of patient care. Moreover, the faculty emphasizes the need for all healthcare professionals involved in perioperative care to work towards a common goal, which is to uncover and maximize the patient’s potential in the surgical environment. It also specifies that nursing practice is independent of medical staff, which highlights the levels of responsibilities given to perioperative nursing. With the advent of modern technology and clinical breakthroughs, the responsibilities and skills required by perioperative nurses are vastly expanding, and nurses are finding themselves in roles that require them to keep their knowledge and skills current through both formal and informal educational practices.

2. Roles and Responsibilities of Perioperative Nurses

The perioperative nurse is a member of the surgical team who works in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of surgery. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) has defined the role of the perioperative nurse as someone who “provides care, treatment, and services in surgery to patients.” A career as a perioperative nurse offers many diverse roles and opportunities in the surgical environment. Perioperative surgical nurses are among the highest paid nurses working in the field of nursing. As a perioperative nurse, your first responsibility is patient safety. Taking care of patients in the operating room can be a complex task due to the nature of the surgery itself and the reasons patients are having surgery in the first place. The risks are high because, with any surgery, there is always the potential for complications to arise. Some potential complications that a patient may experience can be minor, and others may be severe in nature. However, the ultimate goal is for each patient to have a successful surgery and not encounter any postoperative complications such as surgical site infections that can develop if the patient is not given the right care and treatment following surgery. The perioperative nurse plays a key role in preventing these complications, and they do this by following the correct procedures and protocols such as maintaining a sterile environment in the operating theatre and using sterile instruments at all times during the surgical procedure. In addition to patient care, there are many varied roles and responsibilities within perioperative nursing that you may opt to pursue. For example, the role of the perioperative nurse specialist involves working closely with other members of the surgical team to develop and plan treatment protocols for specialized patient groups. Another aspect of the role is to provide expert clinical support through consultancy services in order to help deliver safe, quality care for the patient. Finally, a perioperative nurse, by virtue of having an extensive exposure to families who love their dear ones undergoing operations, needs to offer close psychological support to the families as well, given the sensitivity and anxiety that comes with surgeries.

3. Key Skills and Competencies in Perioperative Nursing

By moving care from professional-led practice to a model in which the patient operates at the heart of their own treatment, it is essential that nurses in all disciplines are able to engage with patients on a personal and emotional level. This is particularly true in a field such as perioperative nursing, where practitioners work with patients who, due to the nature of the process, may feel scared, vulnerable, and a burden to clinical staff. The ability to provide the best in modern care in the framework of key cardinal theories while respecting patient dignity and wishes, therefore, is a skill that is intrinsic to success in this field but also to the vision of nursing in policy.

It is for this reason that competencies in areas such as the use of sterile materials, the prevention of infection, and maintaining the safety and privacy of patients are fundamental in perioperative nursing. However, it is not only practical and procedure-based skills that are important in this area; the recent change towards more patient-centered care has meant that the ability to communicate and engage is now considered as being equally important. Modern nursing focuses on the importance of patient empowerment and on viewing recovery as a process; as such, competencies in psychological care and emotional support are increasingly sought after.

It is important for nurses in this area to not only understand how to provide patients with safe and effective care but also how to support patients going through the stress and worry of a surgical procedure. As such, compassion and a commitment to patient well-being are key skills that are strongly associated with success in perioperative nursing. However, given the immediate nature of the healing process in this field, understanding the impact of traumatic and sterilizing events is not only a necessary competency – it is also essential to performing day-to-day tasks to the quality that is required.

Perioperative nursing is a challenging field that requires skillful, knowledgeable, and experienced practitioners. In addition to the basic nursing degree and state licensure as a registered nurse, there are a number of skills and competencies that are essential for success in this area. One of the most fundamental of these is an understanding of surgical practice – the kind of knowledge that is normally picked up by experience in a perioperative environment. Gaining this experience often begins with a perioperative nursing course or a placement.

4. Best Practices in Perioperative Care

It is important for individuals to work in a team and communicate in an effective manner to ensure there is good patient flow and the best possible care is given. In the operating room, the perioperative nurse has many responsibilities, including assessing the patient before surgery, preparing the patient for the procedure, keeping the operating room safe and maintaining a sterile environment, and caring for the patient throughout and after the surgery. A good practice is to screen patients for surgical site infection risk. This means that before a patient has their surgery, they should be assessed to see if they have an increased risk of developing an infection after the operation. Patients should be assessed for the following risk factors: active infection at the time of the surgery; presence of diabetes, systemic infection or an illness which reduces the body’s ability to fight off infection; and colonization of certain body sites pests in the surgical team’s clothes. It is also a requirement in the UK that all patients having surgery are screened for the risk of developing a methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. Another good practice is to try and ensure that the patient’s temperature is maintained during surgery and recovery. Research has shown that a patient’s body temperature can drop during surgery and this problem can be made worse by the cold temperature of the operating theatre, the effect of the anesthetic used and through exposure of body tissue. Maintaining the patient’s normal body temperature can reduce the risk of complications such as surgical site infections and can also improve the healing process. There should be clearly established protocols and good practice guidelines of the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. A good practice would be to promote and implement best practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. Also known as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers, pressure ulcers are caused by localized damage to the skin and underlying soft tissue and usually occur over a bony prominence as a result of pressure, or pressure in combination with shear and/or friction. Perioperative nurses should adhere to infection control good practices such as using isolation, hand hygiene and the correct protective personal equipment (PPE). The perioperative environment is often thought of as one of the cleanest areas in a healthcare facility. Best practices include ensuring that hands are properly cleaned and that any protective clothes and equipment worn, which may have come into contact with blood or other body fluids, are removed with care and placed into the correct waste bag. Appropriate measures, in line with latest good practice guidelines to minimize the risk of patients developing a surgical site infection, are also very important.

5. Challenges and Future Trends in Perioperative Nursing

The application of advanced technologies in perioperative nursing has been shown to improve patient outcomes and enhance the overall efficiency of the perioperative process. Telemedicine, for example, has already started to revolutionize preoperative assessment practices. Nurses can use telemedicine to conduct virtual assessments of the patient’s general health status, which would then enable the anesthesiologist and surgeon to develop a more accurate anesthesia plan and surgical procedure. The use of telemedicine can potentially reduce the need for in-person preoperative assessment, therefore saving patients’ time and healthcare resources, as well as reducing the burden on the already-stretched surgical assessment facilities. Similarly, nurse leaders in the perioperative setting are increasingly looking into the application of robotic and computer-assisted surgical devices. With proper training and integration of data analytics, perioperative nurses can take on the role of surgical first assistants in robotic surgeries. This would not only allow nurses to expand their scope of practice and further utilize their perioperative skills, but would also help to improve the overall efficiency and safety of surgeries, given the rising body of evidence that show the benefits of using robotics in terms of reducing complications and speeding up recovery time. Nowadays, minimally invasive surgeries (MIS) have been increasingly used as an alternative to traditional open surgeries across different surgical specialties, and it is not surprising to see data showing that the number of MIS procedures performed have been on a steady rise over the past decade. As explained by Dr. Jørgen Thorball, an expert laparoscopic surgeon in Denmark, the use of robotic assistance in MIS procedures is likely to become the ‘gold standard’ in the near future. In his latest interview with digital news publisher Surgical Products, Dr. Thorball emphasizes the potential that robotics have in helping surgeons to overcome the limitations of both traditional open surgeries and conventional MIS procedures. For instance, the improved 3D visualization and greater dexterity offered by robotic assistance can significantly enhance the surgeon’s operative ability and precision when compared to the 2D, handheld instruments employed in traditional laparoscopy. This could potentially lead to better patient outcomes and even possibly refine existing practices in perioperative nursing, such as the development of specialized robotic-assisted perioperative nursing programs. With that said, it is crucial for perioperative nurses and nurse leaders to keep abreast of the latest technological advances and be open to embracing changes in perioperative practices. By working collaboratively with other healthcare professionals and being proactive in seeking improvements, especially through the utilization of innovative technologies, one can be certain that the role of perioperative nursing will continue to expand and flourish, and the field will constantly be exciting and rewarding to work in.