Impact of the Safe Surgery Educational Program on the Augmentation of Surgical Safety Knowledge and Skills among Operating Room Nursing Staff

 

Kanimozhi. S¹, R. Saraswathi², Umapathi Mariappan³, Maheswari Ganesan⁴

¹Nurse Educator, KMCH, Coimbatore.

²Swami Vivekananda College of Nursing, Tamil Nadu.

³Najran University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

 

 

ABSTRACT:

Patient safety is a health care discipline that evolved as health care systems became more complicated, leading to an increase in patient harm in health care institutions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Safe Surgery Program in improving surgical safety knowledge and skills among Operation Theatre nurses. This study used a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test control group design. This study was conducted at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Chidambaram. The non-probability convenient sampling method was employed to choose the samples for this study. This study included 60 operating theater nurses (30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group) who met the inclusion criteria. Structured knowledge questionnaires and observational checklist were used to obtain the data. The study's findings demonstrated a substantial difference in the pre- and posttest levels of knowledge and skill between the experimental and control groups. As a result, the investigator discovered that implementing the Safe Surgery Program raised knowledge and competence levels.

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Surgical care has been a crucial part of global health care for over a century, with increasing incidences of traumatic injuries, cancers, and cardiovascular disease. It is often the only therapy that can alleviate disabilities and reduce the risk of death from common conditions. Surgical interventions account for 13% of the world's total disability-adjusted life years. However, unsafe surgical care can cause significant harm, with a reported crude mortality rate of 0.5-5% after major surgery, complications in up to 25% of patients, nearly half of all adverse events in hospitalized patients related to surgical care in industrialized countries, and at least half of cases involving surgery being preventable^1,2,3

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:

The operating room is a fast-paced and dynamic work environment where diverse health care personnel manage a wide range of patients' diseases and perform complex procedures. Globally, over 234 million surgical procedures are performed annually⁴. Surgical patients account for 66% of inpatient adverse events, and half of them are preventable.⁵

 

To ensure patient safety, operating room nurses' safety attitudes must be monitored and improved. Having well-trained nursing staff is crucial for providing high-quality care and lowering the risk of significant damage or death to patients⁶.

 

Operating room nurses' safety attitudes must be monitored and improved to ensure patient safety. Well-trained nursing staff is crucial for providing high-quality care and reducing the risk of significant damage or death. Patient safety initiatives have varied in efficacy, with hospitals measuring adverse occurrences and patient adversity to determine insurance rates and malpractice costs. To increase patient safety, standardizing and assessing clinical actions based on scientific evidence among nurses is essential.^7,8 Current understanding of patient safety focuses on identifying threats and causes of harm,^9,10 rather than implementing evidence-based solutions. However, there is little research on testing educational programs to enhance knowledge and skills among nurses regarding patient safety. So, the researcher decided to conduct this study to evaluate the impact of the Safe Surgery Educational Program on the augmentation of surgical safety knowledge and skills among operating room nursing staff.

 

OBJECTIVE:

To assess the impact of the Safe Surgery Program on the knowledge and skills of operating room nurses in the control and experimental group.

 

Operational definitions: Safe Surgery Educational Program:

It refers to the Introduction of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist protocol after obtaining proper approval and orienting the nurses on the protocol which is aimed at promoting patient safety in operating room, by educating 10 to 15 operating room nurses in groups.

 

It comprises of,

·         Lecture cum discussion It refers to the application of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist method following formal approval and protocol orientation for nurses, with the goal of improving patient safety in the operating room, by teaching 15 operating room nurses in an experimental group. The lesson lasts 30 minutes and covers Introduction to Surgical Safety, Peri-Operative Surgical Safety Measures, the Definition, Components, and Purpose of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist.

·         Demonstration: The researcher also demonstrated the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist through role play with the duration of 15 minutes.

·         Return Demonstration: Nurses demonstrate the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in the operation room with the duration of 15 minutes.

 

METHODOLOGY:

Quasi-Experimental pre-test post-test control group design was the research methodology employed in this study. The Government Medical College and Hospital in Chidambaram was chosen as the study's research location. With 17 operating rooms, the hospital can accommodate 1,400 patients. At the time of the study, about 600 procedures were done each month by specialists from different fields. The samples for this investigation were chosen using a non-probability convenient sampling strategy. For this study, 60 operation room nurses who met the inclusion criteria were chosen, 30 for the experimental group and 30 for the control group. The level of surgical safety knowledge among nurses working in operation rooms was assessed using the Structured Knowledge Questionnaire. There are 24 multiple-choice questions on it, each with three possible answers and one right answer. Using a standardized checklist based on the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, the skills of nurses working in operation rooms was evaluated. This 21-step checklist is organized into three sections based on the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. Before conducting the main investigation, a pilot study was carried out at Kauvery Hospital in Hosur with 6 samples in each group. The tool's reliability was verified, and the results indicate that it is highly reliable.

 

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Prior to collecting data, the researcher received written informed consent from the Operation Theatre nurses. The researcher also committed to maintain the confidentiality of the data.

 

RESULTS:

Table 1. Comparison of pre and post-test level of knowledge in control and experimental group.

(N=30)

Safe Surgery Program	Test	Mean±SD	Paired ‘t’ test	Post-test Unpaired ‘t’ value
Control group	Pretest	3.67 ± 1.5	CV= 0.546 TV= 1.699	CV = 12.019   TV = 1.96
	Post test	3.96 ± 1.2
Experimental group	Pretest	3.89 ± 1.8	CV= 7.012 TV= 1.699
	Post test	14.63 ± 2.5

***p<0.05

 

Table 1 compares the post-test level of knowledge between the experimental and control groups. After comparing the post-test knowledge score between the experimental and control groups, the estimated Unpaired t' value of t = 12.019 was found to be statistically significant at p<0.05.

 

Table 2. Comparison of pre and post-test level of skill in control and experimental group.

(N=30)

Safe Surgery Program	Test	Mean ± SD	Paired ‘t’ test	Post-test Unpaired ‘t’ value
Control group	Pretest	5.7   ± 2.1	CV= 1.45 TV= 1.699	CV = 9.769 TV = 1.96
	Post test	6.03 ± 3.8
Experimental group	Pretest	5.89 ± 2.3	CV=7.87 TV=1.699
	Post test	11.8 ± 3.2

*** p<0.05

 

Table 2 compares the posttest levels of skill between the experimental and control groups. After comparing the post-test level of skill between the experimental and control groups, the estimated Unpaired t' value of t = 9.769 was found to be statistically significant at p<0.05.

 

CONCLUSION:

 Based on the study results, the experimental group's pre- and posttest knowledge and ability levels were significantly higher than those of the control group. According to the investigator's findings, the Safe Surgery Program's administration has brought up the degree of expertise.

 

LIMITATIONS:

The researcher encountered difficulties collecting samples due to the busy schedules of Operation Theatre nurses and their responsibilities. To solve this, the researcher planned courses before and after each shift. Data collection was limited to four weeks.

 

REFERENCES:

1.      https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22503321/

2.      https://www.who.int/teams/integrated-health-services/patient-safety/research/safe-surgery

3.      https://psnet.ahrq.gov/issue/safety-skills-training-surgeons-half-day-intervention-improves-knowledge-attitudes

4.      Bansal B, Ray M (2021): Surgical Safety Checklist: Relevance and Importance. In Multidisciplinary Approach to Surgical Oncology Patients. Springer, Singapore. Pp. 63-67.

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8.      Venneri, F., Brown, L. B., Cammelli, F., and Haut, E. R. Safe surgery saves lives. Textbook of patient Safety and Clinical Risk Management. 2021:177-188.

9.      Peñataro‐Pintado, E., Rodríguez, E., Castillo, J., Martín‐Ferreres, M. L., De Juan, M. Á., and Diaz Agea, J. L. Perioperative nurses’ experiences in relation to surgical patient safety: A qualitative study. Nursing Inquiry. 2021; 28(2): e12390.

10.   Brasaitė, I. Health care professionals’ knowledge and attitudes regarding patient safety and skills for safe patient care. 2016

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Received on 21.10.2024         Revised on 10.12.2024 Accepted on 01.01.2025         Published on 22.02.2025 Available online from March 20, 2025 Int. J. Nursing Education and Research. 2025;13(1):22-24. DOI: 10.52711/2454-2660.2025.00005 ©A and V Publications All right reserved
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