The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses has revised and released official position statements on safe staffing guidelines and on-call practices.
AORN revised and released these updated recommended guidelines in response to the evolving models of healthcare delivery affecting perioperative nursing practices in different settings, according to an AORN news release.
The first position statement calls for at least one perioperative RN circulator to be dedicated to each patient undergoing an operative or invasive procedure and to be present during the patient's entire intraoperative timeline. This statement is in response to studies indicating a higher nurse-to-patient ratio is associated with improved clinical and quality outcomes, according to AORN.
Secondly, AORN's "Perioperative Safe Staffing and On-Call Practices" position statement offers a framework to develop a staffing plan to ensure continuous and safe patient care throughout the perioperative process. One key principle in this statement includes basing staffing guidelines on individual patient needs, technological demands, staff competency and health care regulations.
To learn more about these position statements, and access all of AORN's position statements, please click here.
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