Reshaping perioperative nursing practice to get the job done: A constructivist grounded theory study

An estimated 234 million operations are performed in hospitals each year and complications of surgery are common and often preventable1. The rates of complications vary between studies with reports of perioperative death rates of between 0.4 and 0.8 per cent and rates of complications between 3 and 17 per cent. Adverse events can lead to patient disability, death, or increased length of stay, imposing a significant burden on the health care system, patients and their families.

Perioperative nurses have a key role in securing patient safety and preventing mistakes and these are recognised as both the nurses’ responsibility and within their locus of control. Research and evidence based actions to minimise the risk of patient harm inform the standards developed by the Australian College of Perioperative Nurses. These standards are closely aligned with similar standards in the UK, US and Canada and represent the accepted standard of professional practice for perioperative nurses in Australia.