Effectiveness of Nurse-Led Preoperative Assessment for Anesthesia: A Prospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate, in low-complexity surgical patients, the effectiveness of preoperative assessment carried out by nurses with formal postgraduate anesthetic training compared to that carried out by anesthesiologists in terms of cancellations and inadequate surgical preparation. DESIGN: This experimental research was conducted using a prospective cohort study. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-three patients were recruited who had undergone low-complexity surgery between May and September 2020. Sixty-nine patients were preoperatively assessed by a nurse with specific 1-year postgraduate university training in anesthesia and 114 by an anesthesiologist. Data collection included a questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction and knowledge acquired from the preoperative assessment. FINDINGS: Cancellations of surgery were the same in both cohorts (3.8%, 2.6%). The incidence of poor preparation attributable to the patient was also similar in both cohorts (17.0% vs 18.4%). Patients seen by nurses valued the satisfaction with the preoperative assessment more highly than patients seen by anesthesiologists (median 91.67 vs 84.62). In terms of Knowledge obtained from the preoperative assessment, both professionals did not show statistically significant differences in knowledge levels. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative patient assessment performed by a nurse, with formal anesthesia training, in low-complexity surgical patients can be as effective as that performed by an anesthesiologist, without having an impact on surgical cancellations or patient preparation. On the day of surgery, patients who had been assessed by a nurse were more satisfied with their care during the visit and acquired similar knowledge about preoperative preparation as patients assessed by anesthesiologists.

Occupational Diseases and Perceived Health in Operating Room Nurses: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: The surgical environment has multiple factors that could affect nurses' health. The aim was to determine the effects of the working environment of operating room nurses on their health compared to hospitalization nurses. METHODS: A sample of operating room nurses and hospitalization nurses were included in the study and participated by filling in a self-report survey containing sociodemographic data items, the validated Nordic and SF12 scales and a list of medical conditions. RESULTS: Three hundred and thirty-one nurses participated in the study. Statistically significant results had obtained for diagnoses of musculoskeletal disorders and contact dermatitis among the operating room nurses. CONCLUSION/APPLICATION TO PRACTICE: Continuous training in ergonomics is essential. Moreover, surgical protocols for preventing infection should be revised, optimizing the chlorhexidine content of soaps to reduce the risk of lesions among the surgical staff.