The
Association for periOperative Registered Nurses
(AORN) defines the term "perioperative
nursing" as the "practice of nursing
directed toward patients undergoing operative
and other invasive procedures." AORN recognizes
the perioperative nurse as one who "provides,
manages, teaches, and/or studies the care of
patients undergoing operative or other invasive
procedures, in the preoperative, intraoperative,
and postoperative phases of the patient ' s
surgical experience." According to AORN, "Perioperative
nurses work on the surgical front lines, so
no one is better qualified or has the capacity
to advocate for and ensure patient safety in
the surgical setting."
Perioperative nursing is a specialized
area of nursing practice, according to AORN.
As a fundamental member of the surgical team,
the perioperative registered nurse works
in collaboration with other health care professionals
which may include the surgeon, circulating
nurse, anesthesia provider, surgical assistant,
and assistive personnel. The perioperative
registered nurse provides nursing care to
surgical patients preoperatively, intraoperatively,
and postoperatively. Perioperative nursing
requires a unique, highly developed set of
knowledge, skills and attitudes.
The perioperative nurse plans and directs
nursing care for patients undergoing operative
and other invasive procedures. Perioperative
RNs work in all types of health care facilities,
such as hospitals, ambulatory or outpatient
surgery centers, and physician offices. The
perioperative nurse may delegate certain patient
care tasks to suitably trained and competent
unlicensed assistive personnel. UAPs are accountable
to and work under the direct and indirect supervision
of perioperative registered nurses when performing
delegated nursing tasks.
Question: Is there a fail safe way to hand off sharps?
Response: The Operating Room is the second most common environment where sharps injuries occur. The Center for Disease Control provides an excellent resource on line, “Workbook for Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Sharps Injury Prevention Program”. I believe this ...(More)
Question: Is there a fail safe way to hand off sharps?Response: The Operating Room is the second most common environment where sharps injuries occur. The Center for Disease Control provides an excellent resource on line, “Workbook for Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Sharps Injury Prevention Program”. I believe this is the most important approach to preventing injuries to health care personnel. An interdisciplinary team initiative with a focus on building a culture of safety that ...
Infection Control Today: Perspectives
Leadership Transitions in AORN
By Paula Graling, RN, MSN, CNOR, CNS, and Sharon McNamara, RN, MS, CNOR
Leading a national specialty association of 40,000 members like the
Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) requires a collaborative
leadership model to meet the needs of the practitioners at the clinical
interface and advance the profession of perioperative nursing. AORN made this
paradigm shift last ...
Infection Control Today: pandemicals
By
Roger P. Freeman, DDS
Napoleon Got a Lousy Break!
How could the little guy have suspected, when he invaded Russia in 1812 with
a half of a million men strong, he would lose nearly onethird of his troops to
something even smaller, the common, er... louse. Lice are ectoparasites that
tend to lease — long-term — on the outside of their hosts. They were known
to have found Napoleon’s troops particularly tasty. ...
Infection Control Today: the last word
Humanizing HAIs and Infection Control
By Allen Soden
“Infection control will really only make
sense to people when it becomes about humans and not about incomprehensible
statistics and invisible bugs.” This insight originated with a dinner
companion during the 2005 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and
Epidemiology (APIC) conference in Baltimore (whose name has been unfortunately
lost in the midst ...
INFECTION CONTROL TODAY MAGAZINE
