Patient Safety in the Operating Room

Abstract

Surgery, no matter how minor, causes stress and poses risk for complications. Many variables, such as procedure performed, age of the patient and coexisting medical conditions determine the safety practices a patient needs before, during and after surgery. Nevertheless, administering anesthesia and disrupting the normal physiological process (ex. Through creation of the surgical wound and the surgical manipulation) subject all patients undergoing surgery to a common set of problems that requires standardized and individualized assessment and safe nursing intervention. Nursing goal when caring for surgical patient are to minimize the patient's anxiety, prepare them for surgery and assist in achieving safe and uncomplicated procedure and recovery. In addition, the health care environment is laden with hazards for the caregiver and the patient. Failure to use equipment and devices in a safe manner places both the caregiver and the patient at risk for injury. Legally, safety refers to conditions that will not cause injury or harm for both the patient and caregiver. Safety in surgery requires a reliable execution of multiple necessary steps in care, not just by the surgeon but by the team of health care professionals working together for the benefit of the patient.  Patient's safety has received increased attention in recent years, but mostly with the focus on the epidemiology of errors and adverse events rather than on practice that reduce such events. The National Forum for  Quality Measurement and Reporting ( the National Quality Forum) define a patient safety practice as a type of process or structure whose application reduce the  probability of adverse events resulting from exposure to the health care system a cross the range of disease or procedure.