Intervention-related demands: Criteria for an operating room-specific patient classification. A qualitative focus group study

Abstract

Intervention-related demands: Criteria for an operating room-specific patient classification. A qualitative focus group study Abstract: Background: Optimal workforce deployment in the operating room-setting has gained high priority in the context of an economized health care system and the development of skill-grade mix. Therefore, mapping intervention-related demands on perioperative nurses as precisely as possible is a frequently discussed need. A surgery-specific patient classification might be helpful. Aim: This paper aims to present core elements of perioperative nursing care in the Swiss-German context and to establish a link to the Perioperative Nursing Data Set (PNDS). Methods: Three focus group interviews with perioperative nurses took place at a university hospital in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Data analysis was performed in analogy to qualitative content analysis according to Mayring. The content structuring of the categories was based on the relevant PNDS taxonomies. Results: Intervention-related requirements can be divided into three areas: "patient safety", "nursing and caring", and "environmental factors". The conjunction with the PNDS taxonomy serves as a theoretical foundation. Conclusions: Elements of the PNDS taxonomies can describe the demands on perioperative nurses in the Swiss-German context. The identified definition of intervention-related demands can contribute to the visibility of perioperative nursing and promote professionalization as well as practice development in the operating room-setting.