Assessment of non-technical skills of operating room nurses

Rıga Stradiņš University, Latvia

Abstract

Training of non-technical skills helps to achieve reduction of human errors that could contribute to safety of patients. For assessment of non-technical skills of Operating Room (OR) nurses, researchers of the University of Aberdeen developed intra-operative work organization protocol for observation of non-technical behaviour. This system includes taxonomy of non-technical skills, definitions, desirable and adverse behavioural markers, and Likert scale for behavioural assessment. The objective of this research is to assess non-technical skills of OR nurses in work environment and compare the findings with OR nurses self-assessment of non-technical skills. The study involved 15 interviews with OR nurses in sterile position (scrub nurses) and 15 observations of their work in four hospitals. Providing self-assessment, OR nurses note a tendency to minimal communication. In practice, nurses often show good ability to think analytically, to predict events and needs and are able to act decisively during surgery. OR nurses in Latvia partially associate their work with non-technical skills, however in practice these skills are used, and they were relatively highly valued during the study. Insufficient self-assessment of such skills of nurses as cooperation in performance of physical tasks, promotion of personnel safety and decisive action, indicates the need for development of scrub nurse's work standards with clearly defined area of responsibility and duties.