Operating theatre nurses’ experience of patient‐related, intraoperative nursing care

Abstract

The way patient-related, intraoperative nursing care is performed by operating theatre nurses' has not been elucidated in any great detail. The aim of this study therefore was to describe theatre nurses' experience of patient-related, intraoperative nursing care. The study draws on qualitative, interpretive description methodology. Sixteen specialists in operating theatre nursing care, working in rural or metropolitan hospitals in Sweden, were included in the study. Data were collected by means of interviews and analysed using an inductive, qualitative, descriptive analysis technique. The data analysis resulted in 15 overarching nursing care procedures and three motives for nursing care procedures in the field of intraoperative nursing care with the goal of achieving the best surgical outcome for the patient. The operating theatre nurses' experience of patient-related, intraoperative nursing care was described as procedures to create a continuous, confidence-based relationship and situation-related well-being; procedures to guarantee patient safety and well-being by keeping a watchful eye; and procedures to create a secure environment that promotes wound healing, recovery and well-being.

Operating theatre nurses’ experiences of teamwork for safe surgery

“…38,39 The participants in this study described how they often followed the surgeons' technique with the use of nonverbal communication and by maintaining an overview of the surgical wound, in another study explained as 'a watchful eye' and clinical wisdom. 7 Silent teamwork may also demonstrate that team members are familiar and comfortable in their professional roles and relationships, as stressed by Bleakley et al 10 and Weldon et al 40 Bleakley et al 10 further describes that acquainted team members rely on tacit knowledge and habitual routines developed from an understanding of each other's working styles to maintain situation awareness. Other team members may not be initiated into this silent communication or tacit knowledge, and silent communication must therefore be shared verbally in the team for updating the situation.…”

Intraoperative Care of the Conscious Patient from the Perspective of the Operating Theatre Nurse: A Grounded Theory

“…To maintain high ethical standards, OTNs tried to be aware of the whole OT environment. This was also suggested by Kelvered et al [11], who stated that the intraoperative nursing care style characteristic of OTNs was to be constantly present in every situation. For the OTNs in this study, to be aware of the whole included having control, and reacting to inappropriate/unethical actions that could put the patient or surgical procedure at risk, or could cause discomfort/ suffering.…”

“…OTNs generally describe their role as being there for the patient and that the patient's wellbeing and safety is their responsibility [11] [12]. The fact that OTNs operate behind closed doors means that the value of their work might has been based on their performance in relation to the surgeon [13] [14].…”

Preoperative Stress: An Operating Room Nurse Intervention Assessment

“…This specialty now requires extremely complex special skills, medical knowledge, and advanced surgical techniques. 20 The preoperative visit of the OR nurse is one method to psychologically support and educate patients. 9 Visits of OR nurses during the preoperative period create an environment that allows patients to express their thoughts, feelings, and expectations.…”

“…OR nurses are sometimes called names, such as technician and robot, which imply that they are not responsible for patient care. 7,20 However, surgical nursing is a specialty that requires the provision of safe and effective nursing care using cognitive and social skills. Surgical nursing has undergone significant changes with dizzying speed because of improvements in surgical techniques in recent years.…”