A qualitative study of how inter-professional teamwork influences perioperative nursing

Abstract

Abstract Aim: To explore Norwegian operating room nurses’ perceptions of how team skills in the inter-professional operating room team influence perioperative nursing in rela-tion to patient safety. Design: A qualitative, descriptive study based on interviews. Methods: Ten operating room nurses (N = 10) employed in four Norwegian hospi-tals were interviewed individually. A qualitative inductive content analysis was con-ducted. The study was reported adhering to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research Checklist. Results: Three generic categories, containing three subcategories each, were identi-fied illuminate the operating room nurses’ perceptions. The operating room team's team skills influence on (a) the quality of perioperative nursing, about task perfor-mance, result for the patient and learning; (b) the progress of perioperative nursing, by keeping focus on the task, being prepared and task distribution and (c) the oper-ating room nurses’ work environment in the operating room, including confidence, stress and energy use and irritation or job satisfaction. KEYWORDS: operating rooms, patient safety, perioperative nursing, TeamSTEPPS®, teamwork