Do perioperative nurses still encounter respect issues in the OR?
They do, and I wish they didn’t. That’s why being able to empower people in the room to speak up when they see something that’s not quite right is so important. I attended an executive symposium held by the Council on Surgical Patient Safety last summer where members of AORN met with members of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and other groups. The physician in charge of education for the ACS showed us some vignettes they are showing to surgical residents to teach the importance of respect in the perioperative setting to facilitate better patient care and reduce errors. I also attended a safe surgical summit meeting at the World Health Organization in Geneva. The meeting was attended by about 120 people, eight of whom were nurses. We were discussing the importance of teamwork and respect when a surgeon from India said it is all about changing the current culture of the OR. He said that change must be physician-driven, and I thought, what a statement — this man comes from a countr
