Browsing by Author "Viszolai, Loraine"

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    Experiences of operating room staff about the role of theatre technicians in peri-operative nursing
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03) Viszolai, Loraine; Stellenberg, E. L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Nursing.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background Unregulated theatre technicians allocated in scrub, circulating or anaesthetic assistant roles challenge traditional nursing roles in the operating room. No evidence could be found on the role of theatre technicians within the South African context, whilst such changes have an unknown effect on peri-operative patient care. Research question The study was guided by the question: “What are the experiences of operating room staff about the role of theatre technicians within peri-operative nursing?” Aim The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of operating room staff about the role of theatre technicians in peri-operative nursing. Objectives The objectives of this study were to gain an understanding of the experiences of operating room staff about the role of theatre technicians in peri-operative nursing with specific reference to: 1. Pre-operative nursing 2. Intra-operative nursing 3. Post-operative nursing 4. The supervision by professional nursing practitioners when theatre technicians are allocated to peri-operative nursing roles. Research process A descriptive qualitative research design was applied in this study. Ethics approval was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of Stellenbosch University and three private healthcare organisations in the Cape Metropolitan area prior to the study. A pilot interview was conducted after which data was collected during semi-structured, audio recorded interviews with fourteen purposefully selected participants to whom pseudonyms were allocated to ensure anonymity. The interviews were transcribed, themes were induced and data was coded and elaborated upon whilst applying Lincoln and Guba’s criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability to enhance the trustworthiness of the study. Results The study found that theatre staff experienced overlapping roles between the roles of theatre technicians and that of operating room (OR) qualified professional nurses (PNs), as well as diverse views on comprehensive peri-operative care. Vague role boundaries were demonstrated through similar role expectations of staff in the scrub, circulator and anaesthetic assistant roles: “I don’t think there is a scope of practice for us… that says...this is what you do, this is what you don’t do” (Participant 12). However, within these roles, theatre technicians’ technical focus opposed the holistic patient care approach by OR qualified PNs. Holistic care, which necessitates an understanding of existing patient conditions, was associated with the anticipation and prevention of peri-operative risks. Surgical team composition seems undirected by standards and unguided by a required level of supervision. In the high risk OR environment, staff shortages and vague role expectations are linked to unclear responsibility. Coupled with limited information about team members’ credentials and their role boundaries, OR staff report conflict and leadership uncertainty, highlighted by theatre technicians’ educational backgrounds: “I (surgeon) think their training must be done differently to give them insight into what they do” (Participant 5). Conclusion The study emphasised unclear supervision requirements and questionable accountability of theatre technicians, although theatre staff experienced theatre technicians’ role as similar to that of OR qualified PNs. As voiced by participant 7: “If there is a real emergency…I (theatre technician) will be worried”. Thus, theatre technicians’ ambiguous role expectations require clarification as peri-operative risk prevention is fundamental to safe surgical care.