Perioperative Nursing Role in Postoperative Patient Safety and Risk

This report delves into the crucial role of perioperative nurses in the postoperative phase, emphasizing patient safety and risk management. It highlights the importance of primary and secondary patient assessment, as outlined by the Standards for Perioperative Nursing in Australia. The report details the application of DRSABCD action plans, monitoring of vital signs, and symptom management to minimize risks and ensure patient well-being. It covers the assessment of airways, breathing, and circulation, including interventions like oxygen therapy and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Furthermore, the report examines the secondary assessment, including head-to-toe checkups and assessment of various body systems to identify and address potential complications. The nurse's role in administering medications and observing for side effects is also detailed. The ultimate goal is to improve patient outcomes and prevent adverse events, such as prolonged hospital stays or serious complications. This report is a comprehensive overview of the perioperative nurse's responsibilities in delivering safe and effective care during the immediate postoperative period.

Running Head: NURSING 1
Nursing
Name
Institution

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Nursing
Once a patient has undergone a surgical process it is the role of a perioperative nurses to
ensure he or she is stable until they leave the hospital (Mary, 2017). They are therefore entitled
to apply necessary skills to minimize risks and promote health safety to the patients. After a
patient has been released from the operation room, it is a role of a perioperative nurses to apply
bandages and dressing (Loreli, 2016). In this case, nurses monitors patient’s conditions to see
whether he or she is strong enough to go to the recovery room. They also check how a patient is
awakening from anesthesia after confirming he or she can be transferred to the recovery room.
The nurses performs primary assessment which helps them in recognizing the illness and correct
management to be implemented.
Once a patient has been transferred to a recovery room, perioperative nurses should
monitor the patient by performing a DRSABCD action plan. In this case, perioperative nurses
should assess the life threatening conditions surrounding the patient and if both are exposed to
any dangers (Mihai, 2013). It also involves coming up with necessary antibiotics in case any
problem arises. This will help nurses to know if the patient is responding to the medication given
or not. After performing the DRSABCD plan, perioperative nurses should check any signs of the
transmitted illness because patients from anesthesia are prone to diseases. This helps a nurse to
know whether a patient needs a more advanced health care or not.
In monitoring the patient, perioperative nurses to assess the breathing and respiratory
system of a patient. This involve looking for a clean open airway, obstructions and respiratory
distress (Sumara & Seema, 2014). Airway is an important element to be well maintained because
it can lead to ultimate deaths. In case of any problem with the airways, nurses should do suction
which involves inserting tubes to aid in breathing. Moreover, they should clean up the airways to

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remove any blockages. After assessing the airways, nurses should check how the patient is
breathing. Breathing of a patient can be interfered with during stress or acute injury (Sumara &
Seema, 2014). In this case, nurses are supposed to check and count respiratory rates, ventilation
and trachea positioning. Moreover, they should also check the chest wall movement and listen
for wheezing. After assessing the breathing, nurses should intervene to the problem by
administering oxygen therapy. This will help in preventing blockage of oxygen from the mouth
to the lungs. They should also do suction to aid in breathing.
After assessing the breathing and airways, nurses should perform cardiopulmonary
resuscitation. This process includes chest compressions which helps heart to get blood
circulating and pump oxygen to the brain (Lakesha, 2015). In this process the role of a nurse
includes preventing the number of in-hospital cardiac arrests. They should examine the patient
well and put them in a position which will not affect his or her breathing. They should also report
any emergencies to ensure that the patient has been attended on time to minimize in-hospital
cardiac arrest. Finally, nurses are also supposed to perform early defibrillation on patients which
improves their survival and increases quality of life.
Symptom management is also another role of perioperative nurses in postoperative care.
Symptom management is performed after all life threatening conditions have been identified and
corrected (Karen, 2012). Most patients experience signs and symptoms resulted from a surgery.
Nurses watches these symptoms and administer some medications to control them. They should
also check signs and symptoms brought by medicines given. Also, symptom management
involves secondary assessment which involves series of activities including inspection,
palpation, auscultation and percussion.

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One of the assessments done in this stage is head to toe checkup. For the head, neck and
face, nurses should check for lacerations and tenderness (Karen, 2012). Look the eyes, ears,
mouth and neck for stiffness and trouble in swallowing. They should also observe chest rate,
effort of breathing and abdomen to see if there are external signs of damage. The abdomen
should also be assessed to auscultate for bowel sounds and palpate for organs and tenderness. For
the pelvis, nurses should check genital for signs or injury and rectal or vaginal bleeding. Finally,
nurses should assess movements in limbs, their sensation, peripheral pulses, skin appearance and
capillary refill.

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References
Karen, T. (2012). Advocating for Nurses and Nursing. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing,
17(1), 80-400
Lakesha, A. (2015). Understanding Hospital-Based Nurses' Experiences of Structuration
Divergence. The Qualitative Report, 20(3), 400-500
Loreli, S.N. (2016). Delegate, Collaborate, or Consult? A Capstone Simulation for Senior
Nursing Students. Nursing Education Perspectives, 37(1), 50-130
Mary, D.M. (2017). Advancing the Role of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses in Today's
Psychiatric Workforce. Current Psychiatry, 16(4), 200-300
Mihai, P. (2013). Physiotherapy Management and Mobilization Routines of Cardiac Surgery
Patients. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice, 5(2), 70-140
Sumara, N & Seema, G. (2014). Moderating Role of Organizational Commitment between
Communication Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions among Nurses. Pakistan Journal of
Psychological Research, 29(1), 90-150