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Aim: This study aimed to investigate workplace bullying and explore correlations between bullying, burnout and resilience amongst perioperative nurses in Australia. Background: Workplace bullying in perioperative nursing involves verbal, physical and psychological violence. However, no prior studies have measured Australian perioperative nurses' experiences of workplace bullying nor sought to understand if there is a relationship with burnout and resilience. Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted utilizing an online survey incorporating four validated instruments. Descriptive statistics and regression models analysed workplace bullying, burnout and resilience. Results: Over half of perioperative nurses (n = 158/257, 61%) were exposed to workplace bullying. Consequences included fatigue and exhaustion (n = 129/192, 67%), anxiety (n = 123/192, 64%) and sleeplessness (n = 121/192, 63%). Organisational processes (r =.458, p <.001), bullying acts (r =.289, p <.001) and avoidance and withdrawal at work (r =.440, p =.001) increased burnout. Psychosocial distress (r = −.216, p <.001) was associated with decreased resilience. Conclusions: Workplace bullying is a persistent issue with negative impacts upon burnout, resilience and well‐being. Implications for Nursing Management: The psychological well‐being of employees can be prioritized by establishing and maintaining an organisational climate of psychosocial safety, thereby inhibiting the potential of bullying to manifest and positively influencing employee well‐being to help promote workplace engagement, productivity and reduced burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced practice nurse (APN) roles have been implemented across all areas of the Australian health service and have extended into the perioperative environment in the form of the perioperative nurse surgical assistant (PNSA) or non-medical surgical assistant (NMSA). With a growing and ageing population, Australia will see an increased demand for acute care nurses. For the PNSA role to expand to meet this demand, the role requires recognition and regulation in Australia. Education programs also need to meet the increasing demand for acute care nursing and provide quality, accessible and collaborative education programs to meet the needs of all nurses in Australia, including those in rural and remote areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operating room nurses continue to draw criticism regarding the appropriateness of a nursing presence in the operating room. The technological focus of the theatre and the ways in which nurses in the theatre have shaped and reshaped their practice in response to technological change have caused people within and outside the nursing profession to question whether operating room nursing is a technological rather than nursing undertaking. This paper reports findings from an ethnographic study that was conducted in an Australian operating department. The study examined the contribution of nurses to the work of the operating room through intensive observation and ethnographic interviews. This paper uses selected findings from the study to explore the ways in which nurses in theatre interpret their role in terms of caring in a technological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retention of items within a patient after surgery is considered to be a serious issue within the health care community. Termed a "sentinel event", a retained surgical item (RSI) is one of eight reportable adverse events deemed to have the potential to seriously undermine the health care system in the eyes of the public. Yet despite the gravity of these events, there has been little opportunity for the courts to examine the liability issues surrounding RSIs. This article reviews the limited case law in this area and analyses the key legal issues which arise in claims for redress, including civil, criminal and disciplinary liability, involving those who have suffered harm from RSIs.

Background: Throughout many countries, professional bodies rely on yearly self-assessment of competence for ongoing registration; therefore, nursing competence is pivotal to safe clinical practice. Our aim was to describe and compare perioperative nurses’ perceptions of competence in four countries, while examining the effect of specialist education and years of experience in the operating room. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional surveys from four countries including; Australia, Canada, Scotland, and Sweden. The 40-item Perceived Perioperative Competence Scale-Revised (PPCS-R), was used with a total sample of 768 respondents. We used a factorial design to examine the influence of country, years of experience in the operating room and specialist education on nurses’ reported perceived perioperative competence. Results: Regardless of country origin, nurses with specialist qualifications reported higher perceived perioperative competence when compared to nurses without specialist education. However, cross-country differences were dependent on nurses’ number of years of experience in the operating room. Nurses from Sweden with 6–10 years of experience in the operating room reported lower perceived perioperative competence when compared to Australian nurses. In comparing nurses with > 10 years of experience, Swedish nurses reported significantly lower perceived perioperative competence when compared to nurses from Australia, Canada and Scotland. Conclusion: Researchers need to consider educational level and years of experience in the perioperative context when examining constructs such as competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/background: Multi-organ procurement surgical procedures through the generosity of deceased organ donors, have made an enormous impact on extending the lives of recipients. There is a dearth of in-depth knowledge relating to the experiences of perioperative nurses working closely with organ donors undergoing multi-organ procurement surgical procedures., Aim: The aim of this study was to address this gap by describing the perioperative nurses experiences of participating in multi-organ procurement surgical procedures and interpreting these findings as a substantive theory., Design: This qualitative study used grounded theory methodology to generate a substantive theory of the experiences of perioperative nurses participating in multi-organ procurement surgery., Setting: Recruitment of participants took place after the study was advertised via a professional newsletter and journal. The study was conducted with participants from metropolitan, rural and regional areas of two Australian states; New South Wales and Western Australia., Participants: Thirty five perioperative nurse participants with three to 39 years of professional nursing experience informed the study., Methods: Semi structured in-depth interviews were undertaken from July 2009 to April 2010 with a mean interview time of 60 min. Interview data was transcribed verbatim and analysed using the constant comparative method., Results: The study results draw attention to the complexities that exist for perioperative nurses when participating in multi-organ procurement surgical procedures reporting a basic social psychological problem articulated as hiding behind a mask and how they resolved this problem by the basic social psychological process of finding meaning., Conclusion: This study provides a greater understanding of how these surgical procedures impact on perioperative nurses by providing a substantive theory of this experience. The findings have the potential to guide further research into this challenging area of nursing practice with implications for clinical initiatives, management practices and education., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Within an 8-month period, an unprecedented and historical first in Queensland, Australia, the perioperative nurses were members of teams involved in the surgical separation of two sets of conjoined twins. Little is known about the (dis)stress that some of these perioperative nurses experienced nor how best to support them during such experiences., Aim: The aim of this paper is to report on the qualitative study that explored the experiences of those perioperative nurses involved in the surgical separation of cojoined twins and from their stories propose recommendations to support perioperative nurses who are confronted with such workplace experiences., Methods: Using a narrative methodology, nine perioperative nurses shared their stories of being involved in the surgical separation of conjoined twins in Australia. Narrative and thematic analyses were conducted and recommendations to support perioperative nurses through workplace (dis)stress were identified. Participants validated the findings and recommendations., Findings: The analyses revealed the themes of professionalism, teamwork, 'them vs. us' and emotional loads., Discussion: The sensationalism around the rarity of conjoined twins brought an intensive intrusiveness from the world media. As a result, secrecy within the hospital about the conjoined twin cases created divisions between those perioperative nurses on the teams and those not. The processes and outcomes of the two surgical cases were in contrast to each other. For some perioperative nurses this caused distress. It is essential that professional support is offered in a way in which the perioperative nurse can take it up without fear of negative judgement.

Acting as a patient advocate in the OR is challenging for many nurses. Personal, professional, and organizational barriers to effective advocacy exist, and the term advocacy is not clearly defined in the context of nursing practice. Findings from an ethnographic study conducted in an Australian operating department shed light on the way in which nurses experience the role of patient advocate in the OR. This article explores nurses' perceptions of the barriers they face as patient advocates and the strategies used to address these barriers.

Statistics on health care workers' occupational exposures to bloodborne pathogens underestimate the true extent of the problem because of a tendency for underreporting. A descriptive correlational design was used to investigate compliance with standard precautions and occupational exposure reporting practices among perioperative nurses in Australia. The study found that although intention to report both percutaneous and mucocutaneous exposures was relatively high, mean compliance rates for actually reporting exposures incurred were considerably lower. The perception of barriers to reporting significantly influenced compliance.

Sexual harassment is widespread in health care. Recent Australian research reveals this type of abuse is a significant cause of stress among perioperative nurses. This article investigates the nature and effects of sexual harassment of RNs in the OR. Specifically it explores the nature of sexual harassment, its occurrence in nursing generally and among perioperative nurses in particular, gender issues, effects, costs, and legal aspects. The article concludes with strategies that can be employed by individual nurses and organizations to combat sexual harassment.