An observational study to assess circulating nurses' non-technical skills

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Management
• Surgical Nursing

Background:

• Non-technical skills are crucial for safe and efficient operating theatre practices.
• These skills are integral to circulating nurses' roles and overall performance during surgical procedures.
• The quality of circulating nurses' non-technical skills remains under-assessed, with existing uncertainties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the non-technical skills of circulating nurses.
• To identify specific areas of strength and weakness in their non-technical skill domains.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 300 circulating nurses in four public hospitals in Iran (2020).
• Demographic data collected via a questionnaire.
• Assessment of non-technical skills using Kalantari et al's Circulating Practitioner's List of Non-Technical Skills.

Main Results:

• Situational awareness received the highest mean score among assessed domains.
• Leadership emerged as the domain with the lowest mean score.
• A moderate positive relationship was observed between non-technical skill scores and years of experience as a circulating nurse.

Conclusions:

• Circulating nurses exhibit a moderate level of non-technical skills, with notable variations across different behavioral aspects.
• While performing well in some areas, deficiencies were identified in specific behaviors, particularly leadership.
• Targeted educational interventions and strategic policymaking are recommended to enhance circulating nurses' non-technical skills.