OR nursing in the future. Impact of projected demographics

Implications of these population factors for operating room nursing are summarized as follows. Continued need for obstetric-related surgery throughout this decade and into the 21st century. Continued need for multilingual skills to care for non-English speaking individuals and continued need for sensitivity by health care professionals to other cultural norms with regard to illness and treatment. Increasing number of older adults needing perioperative care. Increasing use of surgery common to older adults. Continued pressure to reduce costs of care. Operating room nurses can ask several questions to discover demographic trends affecting their hospitals and areas. What is the age profile of patients in the health care facility? What are the patients' geographical origins? What percent of that population is served by the health care facility? What are the population trends in the geographical area from which they draw their patients? age proportions over time, fertility rate, migration trends, mortality rates over time, life expectancy What proportion of the hospital days are used by elderly? What is the rate per 1,000 for surgery among the elderly? Answers to these questions will give OR nurses the basis for anticipating change and planning to meet that change in their perioperative areas.