Unit Summary

In this unit, we have started our perioperative journey by looking critically at what is meant by perioperative practice. Through your online discussions, you may have noticed that the application of the term is not consistent across the globe. Nevertheless, there is a degree of commonality in the service we wish to provide to our patients. Running alongside the caring service is the development of perioperative practitioners in step with advances in surgical techniques, technology and self-appraisal of own competence. It is important as registered practitioners that we continue to question and reflect on our activities to ensure we are within the scope of the perioperative service and within our professional boundaries.

Meeting our professional bodies' requirements is a mandatory aspect and a patient expectation to ensure patient safety is paramount in our delivery of safer surgery.

Activity

We invite you to consider you area of work and ask you to look at the safety checklist in your practice.

Here some examples of what you may debate/discuss in the online discussion rooms.

Perioperative setting – you may consider the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and whether it works in practice.

Pre-op assessment – you may explore whether there is consistency in how you get your patient ready for theatre. Is consistency an important factor in your delay activities?

Cardiac lab – Do you use a checklist to ensure the environment is safe and has the necessary back up processes when working remotely from the emergency rooms?

Neonatal transfers – What guidelines and checklists might you use to ensure your patient is transferred safely within and outside the healthcare environment?

Record your immediate thoughts using your personal blog. And then explore them further in your online discussions (The link to the Discussion Board is not available in this course taster). Try to find out what happens in other health care settings.