Intraoperative nursing activities

This study was done to describe the behaviors, activities, and cognitive functions of the registered nurse during the intraoperative phase of surgery and to categorize and compare the observed activities with AORN's Statements of basic competency for perioperative nursing. Fifteen randomly selected operating room nurses were observed for more than 210 hours during the intraoperative phase of surgery. Observations were recorded as observed activities and quotations. They were categorized by the coded Statements of basic competency for perioperative nursing. Further categorization was done to determine which basic competencies reflected nursing behaviors, activities, and cognitive functions. Additional data were collected using interviews and questionnaires. This study provided empirical evidence that a small sample of operating room nurses demonstrated most of the basic competencies. It also described the nursing behaviors, activities, and cognitive functions observed during the intraoperative phase of surgery.