Review: Perioperative nursing: maintaining momentum and staying safe

摘要

On the whole this was a well-presented paper and I enjoyed reading it. Too often, the 'real' work of nurses and the essence of nursing is unacknowledged or glossed over, especially in a new paradigm of targets and performance-driven healthcare processes. This paper offers a unique insight into the world of operating theatres. The authors identified two main themes, those of 'maintaining momentum' and 'managing safety'. These two themes may be equally transferrable into the ward setting where nurses are similarly preparing patients for surgery. Ward areas work in tandem with theatre schedules and staff to maintain timely transfer back and forth from the operating theatre whilst also maintaining patient safety for all post-operative patients returning to the ward. Anticipatory care in the context of operating theatres is an essential prerequisite to aid the smooth running of the department, theatre list scheduling and patient safety, and is the responsibility of every individual in the multidisciplinary team. The 'processing' of theatre cases requires strategic, proactive and reactive approaches. However, there are limits to the type of work that can be planned and defined in advance. According to the reviewed paper, emergency cases disrupt patient flow through the perioperative setting and create heightened tensions between healthcare professionals in theatre, anaesthetic and recovery areas.