Final answer:
Intraoperative nurses are vital in ensuring patient safety and operation success by confirming prophylactic antibiotics timing, verifying essential imaging, and confirming surgery details with the team. They maintain sterility, ensure equipment availability, and collaborate on critical events anticipation. Nurses also contribute to protocol adherence, including checklists, highlighting their essential role in the surgical team.
Step-by-step explanation:
The role of the nurse during surgery is multifaceted and crucial for ensuring patient safety and the smooth running of the operation. Before the surgery commences, during the sign-in process, the nurse plays a vital role. They are responsible for confirming that prophylactic antibiotics have been administered within the appropriate time frame (60 minutes before incision) or verified that they are not required. Moreover, nurses ensure that all essential imaging results for the correct patient are displayed in the operating room. This proactive engagement is continued with the 'time out' before skin incision, where nurses participate in a final verification process along with surgeons, anesthesia professionals, and others involved in the patient's care. This includes orally confirming patient identity, surgical site, and the planned procedure.
During the operation, nurses are responsible for maintaining sterility, ensuring the availability of necessary equipment, and addressing any concerns that may arise. They work closely with the surgical and anesthesia teams to discuss anticipated critical events, such as operative duration, anticipated blood loss, and any patient-specific concerns. In times of high stress and urgency, such as in a war zone hospital scenario, nurses may also find themselves preparing the operation theatre, even in the absence of orderlies, to ensure a sterile and ready environment for emergency surgeries.
The intraoperative nurse's surveillance extends to enforcing and advocating for safety protocols, much like the use of checklists in an ICU setting for central intravenous line insertions, where nurses observe and ensure each step is followed accurately. The nurses' assertive participation in the surgery team is indispensable, improving patient outcomes and safeguarding against medical errors.