title: Challenging nursing myths and traditions.
abstract: This paper was presented to the World Conference of Operating Room Nurses XI held in Hamburg. Steeped in tradition as nursing is, some observably comical traditions, myths and behaviours have been dragged into a century where they clearly don't belong. Rather like the Flintstones, an exploration of some of these aberrations provides nurses with an opportunity to laugh at themselves and benefit from it. To carry the Flintstones analogy a little further, Fred and Wilma, Barney and Betty, seem to have all the modern luxuries of life - TV, microwave and hi-fi; however these are made of stone and have very implausible operating mechanisms. What have we got in nursing and what implausible mechanisms are we perpetuating in carrying out day-to-day activities?
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002562:Ceremonial Behavior; D006801:Humans; D013527:Perioperative Nursing / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*