The effects of educational intervention on operating room nurses' use of electrosurgical units

Abstract

BackgroundElectrosurgical units are used in over 80% of operations worldwide. The consequences of incorrect use of electrosurgical units for patients and the surgical team include skin burns, inhalation of electrosurgical smoke, fire, and disruption to the functioning of cardiac pacemakers. Training operating room personnel in the correct use of electrosurgical units and evaluating their performance plays a crucial role in making optimal use of the units and extending their lifetime, reducing occupational hazards for surgical teams, and enhancing the safety of patients. Therefore, the present study was done to investigate the effects of an educational intervention on electrosurgical units by operating room nurses. MethodsIn this quasi-experimental research, the performance of 100 operating room nurses concerning their application of electrosurgical units in 200 operations (100 before and 100 one month after the educational intervention) was observed and evaluated. The data collection instruments consisted of a Demographic Information Questionnaire, a surgery checklist, and the checklist for the use of electrosurgical units by operating room nurses. The content of the poster was based upon the standard principles of using electrosurgical units based on the guidelines by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), Association of Surgical Technologists (AST), and the Association for PeriOperative Practice (AFFP). ResultsThe average age of the participating nurses were 31.540 ± 6.772 years. Before (18.330 ± 2.666) and after (20.820 ± 3.400) the educational intervention, the results showed a statistically significant difference between the means and standard deviations of the scores of electrosurgical units by operating room nurses. ConclusionIntroducing operating room nurses to the standard guidelines for applying electrosurgical units can improve the quality of services provided by the nurses, increase the safety of patients, and reduce occupational hazards. Thus, medical managers and policymakers should pay more attention to on-the-job training programs to improve the professional performance of operating room nurses in the use of electrosurgical units.