The annual AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo is taking place in Boston, MA from April 5-8.

In preparation for the big event, HCB News spoke to Lisa Spruce, senior director of Evidence-Based Perioperative Practice at AORN, and Colleen Becker, director of Perioperative Education at AORN.

HCB News: Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in perioperative nursing?
Lisa Spruce: At the beginning of my career, I was an ICU/Trauma nurse, the hospital then opened a new perioperative department and recruited me, I never went back, I loved the fast paced, team oriented atmosphere and all of the amazing technology in an OR where I was always challenged.

Colleen Becker: I grew up providing care to animals and was very involved with small and large animal husbandry. From this, I knew that I wanted to provide care and help to improve quality of life and ease discomfort. My aunt was an RN and innovative in her field of neonatal nursing. From these two experiences, I pursued nursing at the same school my aunt had attended. From the time I was exposed to surgical nursing care, I was hooked. It is an opportunity to help the patient and their loved ones through some of their most difficult and important days. We help them with cure, diagnosis, and answer questions to ease their anxiety. The perioperative day can be the most important day of the patient's life.

HCB News: Have any best practices or policy updates emerged in surgical safety and infection prevention that perioperative nurses should be aware of?
LS: Best practices in the surgical setting have been enhanced by AI. AI is evolving to assist perioperative teams in enhanced safety protocols such as the Universal Protocol, time out procedures and handoffs. AI systems can confirm important patient information and procedure details in electronic health records to ensure accuracy and can monitor the surgical team’s adherence to time outs ensuring that all steps are correctly followed. AI can be integrated into handoff procedures, so they are consistently followed, and all critical information is communicated to receiving perioperative teams. This reduces the risk of omitting critical information during transitions of care. AI algorithms analyze patient data to predict surgical outcomes, identify patients at risk for complications, and optimize perioperative care plans.

In 2024 AORN published a new guideline, The Implementation of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS). This new guideline is an interdisciplinary approach to surgical care that aims to optimize patient outcomes and accelerate recovery following surgery. This guideline includes guidance on antimicrobial prophylaxis, surgical site infection prevention bundles, preoperative screening and optimization—including risk assessments, infection prevention strategies, minimally invasive techniques, and postoperative care to name a few. All the interventions in an ERAS program combine to create a powerful synergistic effect that improves patient outcomes and reduces the incidence of patient complications.

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