Final answer:
The circulating nurse coordinates communication among the surgical team, documents the patient's preoperative history, and ensures aseptic technique in the operating room. They do not perform the surgery but are vital to the overall surgical process by maintaining safety and efficiency.
Step-by-step explanation:
The responsibilities of a circulating nurse during surgery include several critical tasks that ensure the safety and care of the patient. These responsibilities are:
- Coordinating communication among surgical team members to maintain a clear and efficient flow of information regarding the patient's care. This includes confirming team members' identities, the patient's identity, surgical site, and procedure.
- Documenting the patient's preoperative history and making sure that all necessary information is up to date and available to the surgical team.
- Ensuring aseptic technique in the operating room to prevent infections, reviewing sterility of equipment and instruments, and confirming the availability of necessary equipment.
- Conducting a 'time out' before the skin incision to review aloud with the team the name of the procedure as recorded, verify the needle, sponge, and instrument counts, and label specimens correctly.
While the circulating nurse plays an integral role in the patient's care during surgery, they do not perform the surgical procedure; this is the responsibility of the surgeon.