Identifying non-technical skills of circulating nurses and their impact on patient safety: a scoping review

To identify and synthesise the non-technical skills used by circulating nurses to maintain the safety of the surgical patient in the intra-operative setting.

Scoping review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses Scoping Review Extension (PRISMA-ScR) guideline.

Data were extracted and tabulated based on aim, methods, main findings, and limitations, and non-technical skills were identified. Four electronic databases, including CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus and Medline, were searched in May 2024. Twelve studies met the eligibility criteria.

A total of eight non-technical skills were identified from the twelve included studies from six countries. The circulating nurse role was well defined, as well as each NTS, but the link between the use of non-technical skills by circulating nurses and how they maintain patient safety was not clear. There was some ambiguity around which non-technical skills were most applicable to the circulating nurses' role in maintaining patient safety, with various practical examples.

The use of non-technical skills is essential to safeguarding intra-operative patient safety among all theatre staff, though it remains unclear which skills are most relevant to circulating nurses.