Implementing AORN recommended practices for medication safety.

Medication errors in the perioperative setting can result in patient morbidity and mortality. The AORN "Recommended practices for medication safety" provide guidance to perioperative nurses in developing, implementing, and evaluating safe medication use practices. These practices include recognizing risk points in the medication use process, collaborating with pharmacy staff members, conducting preoperative assessments and postoperative evaluations (eg, medication reconciliation), and handling hazardous medications and pharmaceutical waste.

Perioperative pharmacology: patient-controlled analgesia.

Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is an effective treatment option for reducing pain, but PCA errors can be quite serious. Opioid analgesics are among the most effective pain relievers available, but all have contraindications and can have adverse effects, including respiratory depression and other effects on the central nervous system. Practitioners must weigh the potential benefits of PCA use against the risks.

Perioperative pharmacology: blood coagulation modifiers.

Blood coagulation is the process that results in the formation of a blood clot to stop bleeding from a damaged blood vessel. Various pharmacologic agents can affect the coagulation process. The American College of Chest Physicians' evidence-based practice guidelines for perioperative management of antithrombotic therapy provide guidance for anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy and bridge therapy.

An evidence-based process for evaluating infection control policies.

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe evidence-based criteria for evaluating the appropriateness of policies for decontamination of noncritical equipment. An integrated literature review, guided by the Stetler Research Utilization Model and Bibb-Wanzer Identifying, Organizing, and Synthesizing strategy, provided the framework. A confirmatory search and document review process guided identification of documents and data extraction.

Medication safety within the perioperative environment.

With the widespread patient safety movement comes an increased public awareness of the risks inherent within the health care setting. More specifically, the highly publicized medication error cases that hit the media demonstrate the effect mediation errors have on patient safety within the perioperative environment. This awareness, however, has triggered limited research across the continuum of care within this complex environment.