Browsing by Author "Van Heerden, Marlene"

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    A Review of whether peri-operative nursing records used in the Western Cape Metropolitan health region are in line with international standards and recommendations for standard content and design characteristics for the Western Cape
    (2000) Geoghegan, Mary Denise; Hill, Renee; Van Heerden, Marlene
    Peri-operative nursing is faced with increasing pressure to improve productivity while coping with diminishing resources. Nurses have to work harder and faster while still maintaining a high standard of patient care. This emphasises the need for comprehensive, yet easy-to-use peri-operative nursing records. A descriptive, non experimental research design was used to survey peri-operative nursing records used in the Western Cape Metropolitan Health Region and content and design characteristics were identified. A comparison was made between these records and the standard set by the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) in the United States of America. The criteria stipulated by the AORN standard were found to be relevant to South African peri-operative nursing practice with a few exceptions. In spite of this, the perioperative nursing records reviewed did not compare well with the AORN standard and were particularly deficient in risk management areas such as potential injury related to positioning the patient, and electrical and physical hazards. Content criteria not mentioned by the standard, but appearing in the local records were identified and certain aspects of design recognised in the literature were also discussed. Recommendations for a South African standard for peri-operative nursing records were made, as well a$ recommendations for further research into the use and design of peri-operative nursing records.