The effects of an empathy role-playing program for operating room nursing students in Iran

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a role-playing training program conducted among operating room nursing students on empathetic communication with patients through measurements of empathy scores. Methods This study was carried out among 77 operating room nursing students from the first to the fourth years studying at the School of Nursing and Midwifery of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2017–2018. The intervention administered to the experimental group included a 12-hour training program on expressing empathy to patients that incorporated roleplaying. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Profession Student version was completed by the participants before, immediately after, and 1 month after the intervention. A comparative analysis of these 3 time points was conducted. Results No significant difference was found in the total pre-intervention mean empathy scores before the intervention between the control group and the experimental group (P= 0.50). However, the total mean empathy scores in the experimental group immediately after and 1 month after the intervention were higher than those in the control group (P< 0.001). Conclusion Empathy training through a role-playing technique was effective at improving the empathy scores of operating room nursing students, and this finding also underscores the fact that empathy can be promoted by education. Changing the educational curriculum of operating room nursing students is suggested in order to familiarize them with the concept of empathy in the operating room

Comparison of the Knowledge and Performance of Surgical Technicians and Technologists Regarding the Observance of the Aseptic Technique

Background & Aims Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common postoperative complication. The observance of the aseptic technique is an effective measure to prevent SSI. The knowledge and performance of surgical technicians and technologists play a pivotal role in the proper implementation of this technique. The present study aimed to compare the knowledge and performance of surgical technicians and technologists regarding the observance of the aseptic technique. Materials & Methods This cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted during 2017-2018 on 235 surgical technicians and technologists in eight teaching hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. The participants were selected via stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire for the measurement of knowledge, which was completed by the participants. In addition, a researcher-made checklist was completed by the researcher after observing the performance of the participants in three surgical procedures. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22.0 using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results The mean score of the knowledge of surgical technicians and technologists was favorable, while their mean score of performance was average. The mean score of knowledge (P=0.047) and performance (P=0.01) was significantly higher in the surgical technologists compared to the surgical technicians. Moreover, a direct correlation was observed between the scores of knowledge and performance in both surgical technicians (P=0.027) and surgical technologists (P=0.032). Conclusion According to the results, improving the knowledge of surgical technicians and technologists regarding the aseptic technique could enhance their performance in this regard. Therefore, the findings of this study could lay the groundwork for the proper supervision of the performance of healthcare providers in order to harmonize their knowledge and performance. Furthermore, considering the higher scores of knowledge in surgical technologists compared to the technicians, it is advisable that the latter be encouraged to continue their education. The implementation of effective training programs should also be considered in order to improve the performance of operating room personnel. Keywords: Knowledge , Practice , Nurse , Operating Room , Infectio

The effects of an empathy role-playing program for operating room nursing students

This study was carried out among 77 operating room nursing students from the first to the fourth years studying at the School of Nursing and Midwifery of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2017–2018. The intervention administered to the experimental group included a 12-hour training program on expressing empathy to patients that incorporated role-playing. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Profession Student version was completed by the participants before, immediately after, and 1 month after the intervention

Surgical Safety Checklist: Documentation of Use of Electrocautery and Tourniquet Devices

Background & Aim: Documentation of cares is one of the responsibilities of operating room nurses. One of the possible patient damages caused during surgery is use of electrocautery and tourniquet devices. Despite the need for recording the performance of these devices, there is no specific part on surgery checklists dedicated to this issue. Therefore, this study aimed to change the safe surgery checklist through documenting the application of electrocautery and tourniquet devices. Materials & Methods: This action research was conducted on 30 operating room nurses in Isfahan, Iran in 2017. The solution of choice was adding a researcher-made checklist to the operating room files in order to document the use of electrocautery and tourniquet devices for three months. In addition, a researcher-made survey on the status of operating room file documentation was filled by the subjects before and after the intervention. Moreover, data analysis was performed in SPSS version 22 using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: In this research, 28 out of 30 participants had a mean work experience of 11.87&plusmn;8.30 years in operating rooms. Furthermore, there was a significantly higher frequency of positive response to the question of &ldquo;Do you think that the checklist is useful?&rdquo; after the intervention, compared to before the intervention (P<0.001). In total, 90% of the nurses agreed with adding the checklist to patient records, and 96.7% confirmed the effectiveness of the new checklist on decreased professional errors and patient damage. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the checklist of use of electrocautery and tourniquet devices was useful. It seems that full documentation can reduce the possibility of errors and provide a valid document for healthcare providers when faced with legal problems

The relationship between attitude toward the effectiveness of teamwork and observing safety standards in Isfahan educational hospitals

Effective teamwork among health care providersis important for improving the quality ofservices and providing safe and effective care.In fact, patient safety is an essential part of the quality ofcare in the operating room, which for making it, appropriatecommunication between health care providers in theoperating room is essential. The purpose of this study wasto investigate the relationship between attitude towardthe effectiveness of teamwork and safety standards.This is a descriptive-analytic study. The study populationwas 73 operating room nurses in the operating rooms of6 educational hospitals in Isfahan, Iran. The data gatheringtools in this study consisted of a demographic questionnaire,a Safety Standards Compliance Questionnaire,and Team Stepps-TAQ Questionnaire. Data was analyzedby SPSS software, version 16.Out of 73 subjects, 49 (1.67%) were female and 24(39.2%) were male. The mean age of the study population(8.20) was 37.33 years. In this study, the mean scoreof attitude toward teamwork effectiveness was 136.77(2.15) and the mean score of observing individual safetystandards was 202.34 (29.37).In this study, there was no significant relationship betweenpositive attitude toward the effectiveness of teamworkand observing individual safety standards, but consideringthe positive correlation coefficient between these two factors,we can provide a suitable framework for observingsafety standards and teamwork to maintain the physicaland mental health of the personnel, which will ultimatelylead to high efficiency and reduce risks

Comparative Study of the Incidence of Port Site Infection in Disposable Ports and Reprocessed Disposable Ports in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Introduction:Port site infection (PSI) is a rare complication of laparoscopic surgery that can reduce the benefits of this minimally invasive surgery and increase postoperative complications. As a variety of disposable ports (single-use ports) and reprocessed ports are used in laparoscopic surgeries, this study was conducted to compare the incidence of PSI in disposable ports and reprocessed disposable ports in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Materials and Methods:In this prospective cohort study, 473 patients were studied. Two hundred fifteen and two hundred fifty eight were in the disposable port group and reprocessed disposable port group, respectively. The demographic characteristics and incidence of superficial and deep infection were evaluated using the researcher-made checklist of infection assessment standards at intervals of 3 to 5 and 5 to 14 days following LC using call and physical examination on day 14. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and statistical tests in SPSS software. Results:The incidence of PSI, 3 to 5 and 5 to 14 days after surgery in the reprocessed disposable port group was significantly higher than that in the disposable ports group. In both groups, all PSI accrued in the epigastric port area (where the gallbladder was removed) (P< 0.05). Conclusion:On the basis of the results, our study suggests using disposable ports instead, and in the case of using reprocessed disposable ports in LC, upgrading of disinfection and sterilization techniques is necessary