Author(s)

Kerstin Brodin, Ove Hellzén, Marie Häggström

Department of Nursing Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden.

Introduction: Intraoperative care includes a unique knowledge of how to perform a safe and effective surgery procedure. Surgery performed under regional or local anaesthesia allows the patient to remain conscious during the procedure and is rather common in Swedish healthcare today. Aim: The aim was to obtain a deeper understanding of the main concerns of operating theatre nurses (OTN) when caring for conscious patients during the intraoperative phase. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 23 OTNs from five different hospitals in Sweden and analysed according to grounded theory. Findings: The main concern among the OTNs was to take the patient in consideration. The core category “achieve and maintain ethical treatment of patients” in the operating theatre (OT) was a strategy used throughout the intraoperative process. Ethical treatment was described as moral behaviour at different levels and included the team’s behaviour, respectful and individualised patientcare, and the working-morale of the professionals. Being vigilant and being flexible were the categories related to the core category. The OTNs constantly assessed where to pay most attention as they balanced between the needs of the patient, the team, and the surgery procedure. Conclusion: It is important that every patient is taken into consideration and that ethical principles are held to the highest standards in the OT. A familiar team can facilitate that. The complex skills that operating theatre nurses develop can be added to explain important competencies within the profession.

Conscious Patient, Grounded Theory, Intraoperative Care, Nursing, Operating Theatre Nurse

Brodin, K. , Hellzén, O. and Häggström, M. (2017) Intraoperative Care of the Conscious Patient from the Perspective of the Operating Theatre Nurse: A Grounded Theory. Open Journal of Nursing, 7, 1086-1099. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2017.79079.