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Background: With the introduction of robot-assisted surgery, the role and responsibility of the operating room nurses have been expanded. The surgical team for robotic-assisted surgery depends on the ability of the operating room nurses to operate and handle the robotic system before, during, and after procedures. However, operating room nurses must acquire the necessary competencies for robotic-assisted surgery. Method: We performed a systematic review using the databases MEDLINE and EMBASE to review the evidence on educating and training operating room nurses in robot-assisted surgery. Studies describing operating room nurses' training and team-training with operating room nurses for robot-assisted surgery were included. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) and the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale-Education (NOS-E) were used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Results: We identified 3351 potential studies and included 16 in the final synthesis. Nine studies focused on team-training in robot-assisted surgery: four focused solely on training for operating room nurses, and only three on operating room nurses as first assistants in robot-assisted surgery. Most studies examined team-training in RAS, including OR nurses, focused on emergency situations and conversion to an open procedure. Only a few studies addressed other competencies relevant to OR nurses in RAS. No randomized controlled trials were identified. Only a few studies used pre- and post-testing, and only one examined clinical outcomes. The quality assessment of the included studies was moderate to low, with a median MERSQI score of 10.3 and a median NOS-E score of 2. Conclusion: There is sparse research on the education of operating room nurses in robot-assisted surgery, and the literature emphasizes the training of surgeons. More research is needed to develop evidence-based training for operating room nurses in robot-assisted surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, no generally accepted curriculum for operating room nurses (OR nurses) working with robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) exists. OR nurses working with RAS require different competencies than regular OR nurses, e.g. knowledge of the robotic system and equipment and specific emergency undocking procedures. The objective of this study was to identify learning goals for a curriculum for OR nurses working with RAS and to investigate which learning methods should be used. Methods: A three-round Delphi approach, with an additional survey, was used in this study. Four OR nurses from every department in gynecology, urology, and surgical gastroenterology doing RAS in Denmark were invited to participate. Results: The response rates were 93%, 81%, and 79%, respectively, in the three rounds of the Delphi survey and 68% in the additional survey. After the processing of data, a list of 57 learning goals, sorted under 11 domains, was produced. 41 learning goals were rated Relevant, Very relevant, or Essential spread over 10 of the 11 domains. The top 3 learning goals rated as Essential: Identify the most common injuries related to patient positioning during robotic-assisted surgery and know how to avoid them, Connect, calibrate and handle the scope, Perform an emergency undocking procedure. The panel rated Supervised training during surgery on patients as the most relevant learning method, followed by Dry lab and Team training. Conclusions: The learning goals identified in this study, can be used as the basis for a curriculum for OR nurses working with RAS. During the processing, it became clear that there is a need to further investigate issues such as communication challenges, awareness of emergency procedures, and differences in the skills required depending on the role of the RAS nurse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]