Final answer:
The nursing care provided during the preoperative phase includes identity verification, consent, and ensuring proper timing of antibiotics and availability of imaging results. During surgery, the intraoperative phase requires a 'Time out' for critical reviews and sterility checks. After the operation, postoperative care by nurses involves vital sign monitoring, pain management, wound care, and patient mobilization.
Step-by-step explanation:
Preoperative, Intraoperative, and Postoperative Nursing Care
Providing appropriate nursing care throughout the surgical continuum is critical for positive patient outcomes. This encompasses the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of surgery.
Preoperative Care
In the preoperative phase, nursing care includes verifying the patient's identity, the surgical site and procedure, and ensuring that consent is obtained. Nurses also perform a 'Sign in' process, confirming that prophylactic antibiotics have been administered within one hour before incision if indicated, making sure that essential imaging results are displayed in the operating room, and ensuring that team members have properly introduced themselves by name and role.
Intraoperative Care
During the intraoperative phase, the nurse, alongside the surgeon and anesthesia professional, conducts a 'Time out' to review aloud key concerns for the patient's recovery and care. Critical to this phase are the confirmation of sterility, equipment availability, knowledge of anticipated critical events, operative duration, and anticipated blood loss. It is also essential to confirm all team members are informed of any known patient allergies and that the patient's airway and risk of aspiration have been properly assessed.
Postoperative Care
Postoperative care often involves nurses working under the direct supervision of a registered nurse. This can include monitoring the patient's vital signs, managing pain, providing wound care, and helping the patient to gradually increase activity levels. Patients may require assistance with managing tubes, drains, catheters, or undergoing dialysis treatments, depending on their specific needs.