How do you Apply these Guidelines?
The practice guidelines are used frequently and often referred to daily by the perioperative nurse to ensure they are adhering to what the evidence states are the best practices to date. They are used to create perioperative teaching modules such as this one. You will learn about the ORNAC standards and guidelines throughout your course, to develop an understanding of what the best practices to promote excellence in perioperative nursing care are.
ORNAC guidelines are used to create hospital policy, ensuring evidence-based best practices are driving the care being given, and every effort to reduce risk to the patient has been reviewed. Hospital Policy would be well advised to be based on the ORNAC Guidelines. In a court of law, the question “what would a prudent nurse do?,” will be asked and the court will hold the ORNAC document as Expert Opinion and may ask if you are not doing what the experts suggest, “why?”
Humidity Example
For an example of a practice guideline from the 2021 ORNAC Standards document, you will see the practice statement bolded, followed by the rationale(s), not bolded, to support the statement. This guideline is taken from ORNAC, 2021; pg 4-18. You may ask why the rationales are “older” for this statement, the answer is, the evidence has not changed so the rationales are still relevant.
4.4.14 ORs shall maintain a relative humidity of 30%–60% (AORN, 2018; CSA Group, 2019; FGI, 2014).
- Relative humidity of 30%–60% inhibits bacterial growth and decreases the potential for static electricity. Relative humidity that is too high can result in damp or moist supplies with added opportunities for bacterial growth.
- Relative humidity that is too low can result in excessive bacteria-laden dust within the surgical environment.
(ORNAC, 2021 / Goodman & Spry, 2017)
🧠 Graded Activity
In Blackboard, complete the Graded Activity: Accessing the ORNAC Standards and Guidelines.
Perioperative Nursing as a CNA Specialty
Perioperative Nursing is a specialty unto itself. The Canadian Nurses Association offers Perioperative Nurses the opportunity to show they “care to be the best” (CNA) by way of postgraduate credentialing. The perioperative credential, Certified Perioperative Nurse (Canada) – (CPN[C]) is obtained by examination which is based on the ORNAC Standards and Guidelines for Perioperative Registered Nurses and can only be attempted after having two years (minimum) experience as a perioperative nurse. (CNA, 2021)
📽️ AORN CINE-MED VIDEO
Navigate to the AORN Cine-Med website and make sure that you are logged in before clicking on the link below.
- Watch the AORN Perioperative Nursing Video Library (cine-med.com) Cinemed Video on the Perioperative Environment of Care.
- Download the included Study Guide to follow along.
- Runtime – 39 minutes
Summary
You have been introduced to the history of perioperative nursing and who, what and where this specialty is practiced today. Multidisciplinary teams, the perioperative environment and perioperative phases of care are terms that you will become more familiar with as your learning progresses.
You have been introduced to the organization that represents your specialty across the nation, ORNAC, and the important work that this organization does to ensure perioperative patient safety through the best perioperative nursing practices.
Finally, you have been introduced to the ability to show you “Care to be the Best” (CNA, 2022) through a commitment to achieving certification in your chosen specialty.
Enjoy the student experience, take in all you can, and we will look forward to practicing beside you in the future!