Expanding the role of nonclinical personnel in the OR.
Ideally, quality health care should be accessible, affordable, and equitable. Working toward these goals in the OR necessitates examining and redesigning work processes and nursing workflow to make better use of the education and skills of perioperative nurses and assistive personnel. This article describes a pilot project undertaken in the OR at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, to identify tasks that took nurses away from direct patient care and to better incorporate assistive personnel into the workflow to increase nurses' contact with patients. The pilot program resulted in an expanded role for assistive personnel and more direct patient contact for nurses.
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA.
Maureen
M
Hemingway
Marion
M
Freehan
Lisa
L
Morrissey
D001900:Boston; D002322:Career Mobility; D002983:Clinical Competence; D032022:Delegation, Professional / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D016294:Models, Nursing; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009728:Nursing Assistants / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D009871:Operating Room Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D024382:Professional Role; D013997:Time Factors; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D016526:Workload